


Mechanics of Control: Wicked Game

by chains_archivist



Series: Mechanics of Control By Madam Hydra [2]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Boys in Chains, Dark, Duotorture, Lemon, M/M, Slaves, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-03-29
Packaged: 2018-03-20 04:29:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 40,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3636762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chains_archivist/pseuds/chains_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>By Madam Hydra</p><p>It all starts with five fanatical mad scientists, several rounds of drinks, and five competing theories of control... specifically, mind control.</p><p>Original note: This is Duo's and Heero's story in the 'Mechanics of Control' AU storyarc.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Dusk, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [Boys in Chains](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Boys_in_Chains), which opened in 2000 as a multifandom archive for both fiction and art, but then sadly went offline in 2005. To bring the archive back, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in December 2014. Open Doors [posted an announcement](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/1832) and e-mailed all creators about the move, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please [contact the Open Doors committee](http://transformativeworks.org/contact/open%20doors).
> 
> =
> 
> Original notes:  
> This is Duo's and Heero's story in the 'Mechanics of Control' AU storyarc. The four stories should be read in the following order; 'Mechanics of Control: Prologue' 'Wicked Game' Heero's and Duo's story, 'Dragon's Fire' Wufei's story, 'Brilliant Disguise' Trowa and Quatre's story.

 What a wicked game to play   
 To make me feel this way   
 What a wicked thing to do   
 To let me dream of you 

  -- "Wicked Game" 

     by Chris Isaak 

 [ AC 196 ] 

"You know, I think I love you." 

"Shut up, Duo." 

"No, really! The first I saw you, something in me said, 'This guy is gonna be your one and only.' Yup, it's destiny, I tell ya." 

"It's crap. The first time we met, you shot me. Twice." 

"Awwww, don't say you still hold that against me, Heero," Duo mumbled mournfully. 

"Be quiet. You're stinking drunk." 

"But it was all for a good cause. I got the computer codes, right? Ninmu kanryou!" the braided teenager said with a loud giggle. 

"Hn." 

Heero propped Duo against the doorframe so he could unlock the door. As it swung open, he turned to grab Duo just as the other boy slowly slid toward the floor. The Wing pilot briefly wondered why he hadn't left Duo behind to sleep off his little drinking binge like the other partygoers. He tried to convince himself that he had brought the braided teenager back with him only for security reasons -- considering how talkative Duo could be when sober, there was no telling what the fool might say in his extremely drunken state. However, a more honest part of Heero reluctantly admitted that he never could have left the long-haired idiot behind alone and unguarded, especially in his vulnerable condition. 

Heero half supported and half carried Duo into the living room of their temporary quarters and tried to dump him on the sofa. However, the intoxicated teenager was not about to let the Wing pilot slip away so easily. Duo locked his arms around Heero's neck and pulled the other boy down with him onto the couch. 

"Duo, let go of me!" Heero snapped, trying to wiggle free from the near stranglehold on his neck. 

In a startlingly clear and unslurred voice, Duo stared up at the irate Heero with gleaming amethyst eyes and murmured, "I meant what I said. We're somehow connected, Heero. Not just by common goals and missions, but by something much deeper and more powerful. I feel it. Mind, body, and soul.... I want you. I need you." 

Before the startled Wing pilot could react, Duo arched upward and kissed him, lightly at first. 

Heero could have done a lot of things. He could have yelled at Duo... he could have shoved him away... he could have slapped him... punched him... but he did none of those things, even as the braided pilot's grip on his shoulders and neck gradually loosened. 

Encouraged by Heero's lack of resistance, Duo deepened the kiss, tentatively slipping his tongue between the other's lips. 

The taste of Duo's mouth, the warmth of his lips gently moving on Heero's own, brought to mind fantasies and emotions that the Wing pilot had futilely attempted to suppress for so long. He didn't want to admit it, but Duo was right. From his first good look, Heero had felt strangely drawn to the braided, violet-eyed pilot. That had been the only reason he had put up with Duo's antics long enough to become familiar with the person behind the clown act. Something within Heero continually whispered, (I know you.) A sense of deja vu.... And as their acquaintance deepened, Duo had become... very important to him. 

(I think... I think I want and need you, too,) Heero thought as his clenched fists slowly relaxed. But before he could express any of his thoughts aloud, he felt Duo's lips part slightly and emit a faint snore. 

"Duo?" 

To his profound annoyance, Heero discovered the braided idiot had managed to fall asleep right in the middle of kissing him. As Heero glared down at his fellow Gundam pilot, he absently noted that Duo's barely audible snores rather reminded him of a loudly purring cat. 

"Well, shit." 

Leave it to Duo to drive him crazy with frustration... one way or another. 

**************** 

[ two weeks later ] 

The last several weeks had done nothing to ease Heero's frustration. He was totally baffled by Duo's recent erratic behavior. It would have been one thing if the idiot had totally forgotten about his drunken midnight confession, but Duo hadn't. On the contrary, while the exact details might have been lost amid an alcoholic haze, he certainly seemed to remember enough. 

And he was willing to act on it... to a point. Duo would come onto Heero hot and heavy -- all hungry lips and eager hands -- but just before things could proceed to more intimate -- and much more satisfying -- activities, the Deathscythe pilot would suddenly back off for no apparent reason. 

This on-again/off-again sort of behavior was steadily driving Heero crazy. What on earth did Duo want from him? Both of them acknowledged the intense attraction between them, so why was Duo being so hesitant and damn skittish? It was so unlike the Deathscythe pilot who usually had no qualms charging full speed ahead for whatever he wanted. If anyone else had tried to tease him like this, Heero would have inflicted some serious bodily harm long ago. He certainly wouldn't have bothered trying to figure out what was going on. Then again, if anyone else had been involved, he wouldn't *be* in this ridiculous situation at all. Only for Duo.... 

Then an odd thought occurred to Heero. Was it possible that a part of Duo felt that this sort of intimacy between two people of the same sex was somehow wrong? He vaguely remembered a religious lecture at one of the boarding schools he had attended where the speaker had been quite adamant about homosexual relations being unnatural and forbidden. And Duo did dress like a priest and he *had* spent some time in a Catholic orphanage.... What did he know of Duo's religious beliefs anyway? 

**************** 

Duo sensed that Heero was growing increasingly irritated with his inexplicable behavior. To tell the truth, *he* was getting ticked off at his own behavior, too. Why was he teasing and tormenting Heero like this? While he liked flirting with classmates of both sexes, he was always careful to keep things light-hearted and casual. But what he was doing to Heero went far beyond a little casual flirtation. To compound the problem, he wasn't dealing with a normal girl -- or boy, for that matter -- who knew all about these sorts of social games. This was Heero, a person who had been trained to deny the existence of virtually every human emotion. 

But being aware of the problem did nothing to solve it. Duo felt helplessly torn -- unable to resist his attraction to the Wing pilot -- an attraction that Heero apparently reciprocated -- and yet incapable of pursuing that attraction to its natural conclusion. Something inside of him simply would not allow matters to become more intimate than a sultry kiss or some heavy petting. But most upsetting of all was the fact that he knew the real reason why he could not bring himself to go further with Heero. 

Fear, pure and simple. 

He wasn't afraid *of* Heero. He knew that the Wing pilot cared about him... desired him... and if he was really lucky, perhaps even loved him a bit. 

No, this wasn't a fear of rejection, humiliation, physical pain, or anything normal like that. This was an entirely different type of fear... it was the visceral sort of terror that one experienced when faced with a fate literally worse than death. Some deeply hidden part of himself was terrified of getting sexually involved with Heero, and he was at a total loss to explain it. Where did this irrational fear come from? 

But whatever the problem was, he wouldn't let it go on. He knew his behavior was hurting Heero and he wouldn't allow that to happen, no matter what it cost him. This mess was entirely his fault, so it was up to him to find a solution. But that was much easier said than done. 

(What the hell am I supposed to do?) 

**************** 

[ two days later ] 

"C'mon, Heero. Howard and his guys can't fix your precious Wing if you're bleeding all over it!" 

"I'm fine," the cobalt-eyed pilot insisted sullenly. 

"Sure. Absolutely. Of course you are," Duo retorted brightly. 

Heero gave the other boy a freezing stare, which he blithely ignored as usual. Finally, with a grunt of annoyance, the Wing pilot allowed Duo to pull him out of the heavily damaged cockpit. 

After he made sure that Heero was capable of negotiating the ladder under his own power, Duo leaned over the railing and shouted, "Yo! How's it going!?" 

Howard popped up from behind Deathscythe, which looked only a little less battered than Heero's Wing, and yelled back, "Don't you know better than to play target practice for a bunch of Mobile Dolls!?" 

"Hey, it's not our fault, okay!? And it wasn't a pack of Dolls that did all that damage!" Duo bellowed back. 

From the floor, Heero said in a clear, carrying voice, "Duo, if you want to talk to him, why don't you come down and do it face to face, instead of screaming from the hanger rafters?" 

Howard walked over to the Wing pilot and said with a chuckle, "He's afraid that I'll clobber him for bringing that black beast of his back in such a mess." 

"Me, afraid of you? Hah! That'll be the day!" Duo exclaimed as he slid down the gantry ladder and headed over toward the master mechanic and Heero. 

The Wing pilot frowned as he noted the other's rather sedate stride -- sedate for Duo, at least. Although the Deathscythe pilot had no visible injuries, his walk gave some indication of the severe battering he had received during the last combat mission. 

"How long?" Heero demanded. 

Howard sighed. "Well, Wing and Deathscythe are going to be out of commission for a good three weeks or more." Before Heero could say anything, the mechanic raised his hands and continued, "I know, I know. If we rushed things, we could probably get them up and running in half that time, but they're overdue for a major overhaul anyway. And it'll be the perfect time to install some additional upgrades. Might as well get it all done at once." 

Heero nodded curtly and said in his usual monotone, "I'll notify Doctor J." 

As Howard returned to work, Duo said, "Let's get you patched up," and pushed his companion out of the hanger area. 

On the way back to their quarters, Heero said quietly, "It was a trap." 

Duo scowled. "Yeah, I know. They were waiting for us. But I don't think the leak's here on our end. I bet it's somewhere in the informant network. We could use this downtime to flush the traitor out. Shit, Heero, you're bleeding again. C'mon!" 

**************** 

Heero took a shower first, then reluctantly allowed Duo to clean up the gash above his left ear and various other lacerations he received from flying shrapnel, but only after a protracted argument. Eventually, Duo got his way and grinned smugly throughout the entire procedure. Considering the firepower mounted against them in the ambush, his injuries were actually quite trivial, but that didn't deter Duo from carefully tending to each and every one of them. 

As soon as Duo finished with the last bandage, Heero turned to his laptop and started typing without another word. 

Duo tossed the medical kit onto a chair and snorted. In a snide voice, he said, "Gee, thanks, Duo. Oh, think nothing of it, Heero.... No, I really appreciate it, Duo. " 

"Duo?" 

"Yes, Heero?" 

"Shut up." 

**************** 

He was still working on the computer when Duo finally emerged amid a burst of steam from the bathroom. Dressed in a long, plush terry bathrobe, The Deathscythe pilot energetically toweled his long chestnut brown hair dry as he wandered over to peer over Heero's shoulder. 

"Whatcha doing?" 

"Doing a background check on our overly helpful informant for the last mission." 

"Aaaahhh," Duo said in a significant tone, as he plopped himself on his bed and started the complicated process of brushing out his hair. 

Heero found himself dividing his attention between the laptop monitor and the boy who sat across the room, carefully detangling the mass of moisture-darkened strands dangling over his shoulder. Every so often, Duo would pause in mid-brushstroke to absently rub a hand or his cheek against the soft, thick fabric of his bathrobe. 

It always astounded and fascinated Heero that someone as hardy and tough as Duo could wallow so unabashedly and lose himself so completely in physical sensations. If there were fresh flowers or aromatic items around, Duo would be the first one there sniffing at them. Good food, colorful sunsets, lightning storms at night, music varying from Gregorian chants to heavy metal rock music to classical symphonies... Duo couldn't seem to get enough of them. 

As for touch, how could Heero forget the time he and Duo had taken refuge in some rich industrialist's ski lodge? After spending some time in the garage, Heero had returned to the lodge only to find Duo fast asleep in the master bedroom, sprawled out nearly naked on the enormous chinchilla bedspread. Unable to tear his eyes away from the sight of Duo purring contentedly in his sleep as he slowly and sensuously stirred against the thick luxuriant dark blue-gray fur, Heero had ended up watching him for hours. 

That was the day his own fantasies about Duo really began. He would find himself wondering if he could make Duo writhe with the same erotic desire or make the other boy utter that same husky purr. He did his best to forget those fantasies -- erotic daydreams had no place in the life of a Gundam pilot. But no matter how he tried, the thoughts and fantasies would always come rushing back whenever he saw Duo playing with his own hair... or watched him running those deceptively slender fingers through a kitten's fur... or watched him laugh... smile... move... just seeing him breath.... 

So when Duo had drunkenly blurted out his attraction to his fellow pilot, it had been like a dream come true to know that this violet-eyed beauty desired him. And that's what made Duo's recent behavior so infuriating. It was true when people said that hope is the most exquisite torture of all. To be so close and yet so far from the fulfillment of his fantasies.... 

**************** 

As Duo started to divide his hair into braidable sections, Heero abruptly said, "Do you believe in God?" 

A startled Duo jerked his head up at the unexpected question. 

"Say what?" 

"Do you believe in God?" 

"Heero, what the hell brought this on?" 

"Just answer the damn question," came the Wing pilot's curt response. 

Duo gave up on trying to braid his hair and tossed the whole mass over his shoulder before turning to face his fellow pilot. 

"Why on earth do you want to know?" 

Heero scowled, but didn't immediately reply. Just as Duo thought that the Wing pilot was about to give up on the interrogation, he said, "Answer the question first. Then I'll tell you why." There was another long pause, then Heero quietly added, "Please." 

Duo blinked in amazement. "Well, if you ask so nicely...." The usual cheerfulness abruptly drained from his expression. Fixing his gaze on a blank spot on the wall, he said in a quietly bitter voice, "The answer is no. I don't believe in God. God is DEAD. Or if he's not, he fucking well deserves to be." 

As Heero's eyes widened slightly at Duo's unexpectedly harsh response, he continued, "And people who sit around trusting in God's mercy or praying for salvation are fools. God helps no one. God didn't give a shit about me so why should I believe in him?" 

The long-haired teenager took a deep breath, rubbed at the suddenly tense muscles in his neck, and muttered, "Okay, you've got your answer. So why the hell did you want to know?" 

Heero gave him a perplexed and rather frustrated stare. "I asked because I'm trying to figure out how you think." 

Duo snorted and said, "Simple little old me?" 

The Wing pilot surged to his feet and stalked over to Duo's bed. 

"Yes, you." 

"So why did you want to...?" 

Heero grabbed the collar of Duo's bathrobe and roughly hauled him off the bed. Slamming the startled boy up against the wall, The Wing pilot shouted, "WHY!? Because you're driving me crazy, that's WHY!" 

The flare of guilt in Duo's indigo eyes made it abundantly clear that he knew exactly what the other boy was talking about. 

"Why, Duo? Why are you doing this to me? You say you want me. You touch me, you hold me, you kiss me... but then you keep running away!" 

**************** 

"Heero, I...." What could he say? How could he possibly explain his behavior when he didn't even understand it himself? He had no words. All he had left was action. He reached out toward Heero.... 

....only to have his hand angrily slapped away. 

"Don't touch me, Duo. Not unless you really mean it. I'm tired of your games. I thought that maybe it was some sort of religious belief holding you back. I could understand that. But you say you don't believe in God or religion, so what does that leave? Has all this been nothing more than a sick practical joke for you!?" 

"No! It's not like that! It's... it's...." As his voice trailed off, Duo's shoulders slumped and he looked away. 

Heero grabbed Duo's chin and pulled his head up, forcing the clouded violet eyes to meet his own. In a low, furious voice, he demanded, "What do you want from me, Duo? What do you want me to DO!?" 

**************** 

.... lightly tanned skin, eyes of deepest blue, and dark rumpled hair where there had only been glaring, barren whiteness.... 

.... a warm touch of another living being where there had only been an aching, hollow void.... 

.... the sound of a human voice where there had only been smothering silence.... 

**************** 

The memories vanished from Duo's awareness as quickly as they had arrived, but in their wake, they left a devastating memento of their presence. 

Pure, overwhelming desire... passion... craving... ache... hunger... lust.... a need so intense that Duo would have screamed if he could only find enough breath to do so.... 

But virtually none of this torment was outwardly visible to Heero's eyes. Duo simply sagged against the wall, quietly gasping. Then, with his eyes half-closed, he tipped his head back, and whispered, "I... want you... I... need... touch me... please... touch me... don't leave... me... please... Heero... I... NEED...!" 

The low husky pleas coming from Duo's barely parted lips were an irresistible invitation for Heero. Driven both by anger and his own long-frustrated desire, the Wing pilot kissed Duo with ferocious intensity, ruthlessly plundering the vulnerable mouth beneath his. 

Duo welcomed the invasion of Heero's tongue... the rough, bruising force of his hands roving over his flesh.... Anything Heero wanted, he could have, if only he would take the need away. He didn't even notice as Heero flung him onto the bed, then ripped away the bathrobe that interfered with his exploration of Duo's body. 

The long-haired boy uttered a low, sobbing mew of despair as Heero pulled away just long enough to strip away his own clothing. Duo flung out his hand, fingers outstretched, and groped like a blind man for the presence that was his only salvation from the vicious hunger devouring him alive. 

His fingers encountered warm, living flesh and grabbed desperately for it, but Heero ruthlessly pinned his hands down upon the mattress. 

"NO. Don't move! You've had plenty of opportunities to drive me crazy. Now it's my turn." 

"Heero...!" Duo struggled to explain, to plead... but the ability to communicate utterly deserted him as Heero delicately ran his teeth over one acutely sensitive nipple, then the other. The tormenting mouth slowly worked its way down his body, lingering briefly to plunge into his belly button once... twice... before moving on. 

Heero's tongue left a trail of dampness ever so slowly down the length of his erection, then flicked teasingly over the tip. He started to shake as he felt Heero's warm breath flowing around his throbbing cock. 

(Don't stop don't stop please don't stop I'll do anything don't stop don't stop don't stop....) 

But Heero seemed bent on doing just that... stopping. 

His hands were no longer being restrained, but he was afraid to lift them... afraid to move. Heero was angry. If he moved, Heero might leave. Duo couldn't tolerate the possibility of being left alone, so he dug his fingers into the bedding and... endured. 

**************** 

Heero slowly panted and tried to get himself back under control, but his body refused to cooperate. He glanced up Duo's trembling body, noted the white-knuckled hands clenching the sheets, then allowed his gaze to drift up to the other boy's face. Duo's eyes were tightly closed, his mouth open and taking in little sharp gasps of air. With a definite twinge of guilt, Heero knew he had overreacted... maybe he had pushed too hard. If he hurt him.... 

"Duo." 

The other boy flinched slightly, but didn't open his eyes. 

"Duo... I didn't mean to... are you... do you want me to stop?" Heero, breathing heavily. 

The closed eyes flew open. Violet eyes, darkened with passion and need, stared at him blankly. Heero began to sit up, to move away, but Duo lunged upward and frantically wrapped his arms around Heero's chest. 

For an instant, all he heard was Duo's panting gasps. It took him a brief instant to realize that there were words buried in those short, hard sobs. 

"Don't stop don't stop please Heero don't stop don't leave me like this please don't I can't stand this Heero please...." 

He pushed Duo away just far enough so he could kiss him... but more gently than before. Instead of demanding surrender, his lips offered comfort. As he felt Duo slowly begin to relax in his arms, he stroked the silken brown strands from the heart-shaped face and said softly, "Don't worry. I won't leave you. Just... just tell me what you want." 

Burying his head against Heero's chest, Duo trembled helplessly in the grip of unrelenting passion and mumbled, "Please... inside... I need you... inside...." 

"All right, Duo. All right. I'll make you feel better, I promise." 

**************** 

Sheer desperation had given Duo the strength to express his overwhelming need, but when Heero tried to push him back down onto the bed, he couldn't force his arms to release their hold on Heero's body. He couldn't stand the thought of being separated from the only person who could calm the beast tearing him apart from within. Finally, Heero was forced to pry his grip loose. He wanted to tell Heero he was sorry, but the merciless hunger within his mind silenced him as effectively as any gag. 

Heero turned him over onto his stomach, pulled his hips up into the air, then slowly began to massage his buttocks. And at the end of each stroke, the Wing pilot would run his fingers along the cleft of his ass, slowly separating him, pulling the sides of Duo's buttocks apart. Then, with a quick and decisive thrust, Heero plunged two damp, slickened fingers deep inside of him. 

They stroked him from within, finding his secret places, sending jolts of pure ecstasy up his spine which slowly... so slowly... began to drown out the maddened craving that tormented him so badly. But it still wasn't quite enough. He knew there was more. There had to be more. He still burned. 

His mouth opened, but no words came out. The pleasure that soothed away the hunger also held him prisoner, paralyzing him and rendering him mute. As long as Heero touched him that way... as long as Heero pleasured him, he could do nothing but submit. 

And still the fingers caressed him from within and still the waves of exquisite sensation came. 

Just as abruptly as they entered his body, Heero pulled his fingers free. The cessation of the ecstasy was almost more than Duo could bear. The monster of desire inside him, freed from Heero's placating spell, stirred once more. He managed a low sobbing whimper and felt Heero's callused hand gently stroking his spine. 

"Shhhh. Just a moment, Duo." 

The hunger inside him raked him with its claws, testing its power. 

(Heero! HEERO!!! Help me!) 

**************** 

The last thing Heero wanted to do was hurt Duo by rushing things, but by now, his own body was throbbing and aching with its own demands. It knew what it wanted. And some instinct told him that Duo simply could not wait any longer. 

He took a firm grip on Duo's hips and plunged into him in a single quick stroke. 

**************** 

Duo sensed his vision going gray as he felt Heero enter him, filling him totally. It felt so good, so perfect. It was as if he had been made to receive Heero's cock. And his body loved it. 

He found himself rocking back and forth uncontrollably as Heero started a series of slow, measured thrusts. He could only hang there, panting with his mouth open. The irresistible rhythm of sensations dominated his body so completely that he couldn't even breathe except in time with the relentless thrusts. 

His eyes went wide and a low, pleading moan escaped from his throat as Heero's hand slipped around his waist to caress his balls and his penis. Pleasure oozed like a living thing from his groin, along his spine, and directly into his brain. The searing desire inside him fed ravenously on the pleasure that Heero so lovingly provided and slowly loosened its grip on his mind and soul. 

He now knew what a deeply buried part of himself had always known. Only Heero could make the hunger go away. Only Heero could make him feel better. Only Heero could save him.... 

Heero now had absolute control. Heero was his entire world -- the only thing that existed for him now... the only thing that had any meaning or importance. Heero's scent... the sound of Heero's voice... the taste of Heero's mouth... the warmth of Heero's hands as they caressed his body... the exquisite pressure of Heero's cock inside him.... 

**************** 

Heero hugged Duo close as the violet-eyed teenager's body began to shudder with his approaching orgasm. With his face nestled against his lover's neck, delivering slow sucking kisses, Heero could not see Duo's pleasure-glazed eyes suddenly clear and widen, even as his mouth gaped open in a noiseless cry. 

It was not an exclamation of ecstasy, but rather a silent scream of overwhelming terror. 

It was the look of a prisoner, hopelessly betrayed, as he hears the click of shackles locking tightly around his body, the slam of a heavy steel cell door closing, and the thud of deadbolts sliding into place. 

Heero saw none of this. All he was aware of was Duo's hoarse panting breaths in his ear, the trembling of the exquisite sweat-sheened flesh under his hands.... But even if he had known... even if Heero had been capable of comprehending the significance of Duo's anguished expression, there was nothing he could have done. It was too late to stop the process set in motion... and in a way, there had been no turning back ever since the brief, unremembered instant when he had first touched the boy he now held in his arms. 

Because at that very instant, the orgasm finally hit Duo. 

**************** 

"Noooo.... ahhh!" Long chestnut hair went flying as Duo's head thrashed helplessly from side to side in response to the explosion of unbearably intense pleasure inside him. His lips curled up in a faint, hopeless little smile as steady waves of rapturous ecstasy swept through his body, swamping his senses, and drowning all rational thought. The feel of Heero coming inside him only magnified and prolonged the mind-numbing bliss. 

But unbeknownst to the two pilots, that same orgasm had unleashed a massive cascade of neurochemicals through Duo's brain. Even as the merciless and irresistible pleasure continued to pour through his trembling body in an seemingly never-ending torrent, those neurochemicals began their dark and insidious work, subtly modifying nerve cells throughout Duo's body \-- but especially within the brain -- in accordance to Professor G's carefully thought out scheme. 

Totally unaware of the corruption now brewing within his own body, only one thought existed in Duo Maxwell's battered mind before the overwhelming sensations swept away the last vestiges of consciousness. 

/ I'm yours, Heero... forever and ever.... / 

=====================================================================


	2. Side Story 1

**************** 

[ AC 192 ] 

Professor G calmly observed his subject through the one-way window. The long-haired teenager swayed slightly on his feet as he stood in the middle of a sterile, featureless room. The youth's dilated and unfocused violet eyes glanced jerkily around the area, but the scientist knew that the drugs had left the boy nearly blind, especially when surrounded by the stark, unrelenting white that covered every surface of his cell. 

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME!? WHO'S OUT THERE!? DAMN IT, TALK TO ME!!!" the boy screamed. However, the scientist also knew that Duo Maxwell could yell all he wanted, but the teenager would never hear a single word he uttered. As Duo kept rubbing his hands against his thighs in a futile search for any sort of tactile feedback, Professor G activated his recorder. 

"As I suspected, this subject is particularly susceptible to sensory deprivation and the response to initial stages of treatment has been quite promising. I intend to progress to stage 2, possibly even stage 3, within the next 24 hours. The sensory deprivation will accentuate the sense of isolation, which will make the subject more vulnerable to modification and programming, especially when combined with the application of extreme physical stimulation." 

The scientist paused to gather his thoughts, flipped through a few papers, then continued, "The sensory deprivation will also prevent the subject from focusing on any one person or persons as an enemy and therefore deprive him of any target for resistance." 

Professor G consulted another stack of printouts. "After a suitable degree of receptiveness is achieved in the subject, I will begin installation of essential control mechanisms using basic pain/pleasure conditioning. At this early stage, it is critical to determine if the subject can be restored to an appearance of complete normalcy soon after a modification session. This would be highly desirable because that means that his programming can constantly reinforced and upgraded without the need to explain away suspiciously extended absences or disappearances for recovery." 

The scientist then added, "Advanced conditioning stages will include the preparation for inducing the subject's emotional and sexual addiction to the designated controller. It is my hypothesis that this will allow the subject to retain a large portion, if not virtually all, of his intellectual capability, critical judgment, and initiative, while ensuring that the subject's actions and intentions will be entirely governed by the controller's wishes and commands...." 

Although the boy in the next room was incapable of hearing or seeing the scientist as the man calmly and precisely outlined his 'research' project, Duo Maxwell could still sense his impeding damnation. 

**************** 

[ AC 192, a few months later ] 

Emptiness.... Nothingness.... The all-consuming void.... A silent, never-ending scream of torment forever unheard.... 

As Duo lay curled up in a fetal ball in his cell, he disjointedly wondered how long it had been since he had seen another human being... talked to someone... touched another living person...? How long...? 

It was so strange. He could hear nothing, not even his own voice... taste nothing... smell nothing... he could see, but only in the haziest of blurs... he even felt nothing unless THEY chose otherwise. Duo had no idea who THEY were. He couldn't even tell if THEY were alive or some sort of machine. But whatever THEY were, THEY controlled every possible aspect of his current existence. When they wanted him to feel... to hear... to see... after being deprived of any sensation for so long, the slightest physical stimulation became overwhelming and irresistible. 

But if THEY didn't want him to feel, he didn't. No matter how much he tried... no matter how hard he pinched, pounded, or clawed at his own flesh, he could feel... nothing. 

Nothing except for an insatiable craving that was an unholy mixture of uncontrollable lust and agonizing loneliness... a searing, bottomless hunger that constantly gnawed at him. All he knew was that he was starving... for someone's presence... for someone's touch.... 

He whimpered silently. That was all he could do. It was the first lesson he had learned -- to know that he was totally and utterly helpless to do anything to satisfy that terrible need inside him. He could rub his penis until it was raw and bleeding... cram his hand halfway up his ass... it didn't matter -- his body was numb to any outside stimulation. THEY made sure of that. 

The second lesson he had learned was that THEY were in complete control. He would only be able to feel the things THEY wanted him to feel and only when THEY wanted him to feel those things. That made this hellish imprisonment all the more unbearable. He dreaded the endless sessions with THEM because he had no idea what THEY would do to him... what THEY would make him do... what THEY would make him think.... But he also needed those sessions as well, because they were the only times he could feel *anything* besides the never-ending hunger... the only times when he wasn't alone. Enduring a session was his only frail hope of getting any sort of relief from the uncontrollable need that kept growing inside him. 

If THEY were feeling generous, THEY could make the cravings go away... but the relief would always been temporary. After THEY left, he would be alone again, and the craving and the hunger would inevitably return, and worse than ever. 

So he cowered on the floor, torn between his shameful fear and his equally shameful hope that his mysterious tormentors would return.


	3. Part 2 (revised draft)

[ the morning after ] 

The bright morning sunlight pouring through the room finally prodded Duo from his profound sleep. Still dozing, he flung out an arm and encountered... nothing. 

That discovery immediately jolted the Deathscythe pilot awake. His wide violet eyes stared at the empty spot on his bed where someone had obviously slept beside him. He slowly reached out and placed his hand on the rumpled sheets that held only the faintest traces of body warmth. His gaze slowly surveyed the room, noting the absence of Heero's laptop and duffel bag, then ended up focusing on the other pilot's bed, whose usual military bounce-a-coin neatness was marred by a small wrinkled area right in middle of the sheets. 

Duo's expression tightened. There was no note, but Heero was never one to leave such things. But he didn't need any written message to understand what was going on. He could just picture the scene. After an absolutely mind-blowing bout of sex, Heero probably started to freak out. At a total loss of how to cope with all the emotions and feelings he had just experienced, the Wing pilot would have retreated to his own bed, sat down, and wallowed a bit in self-recriminations, then he would have desperately looked for something he could focus on... a mission... anything to occupy his mind and allow him to avoid thinking about what had just happened in this room and in Duo's bed. After coming up with an excuse for leaving, mister Perfect Soldier Yuy would have packed his bag, grabbed his laptop, and walked away. 

"Hah! Walked? How about running out the door like a scared rat!" 

With a surge of annoyance mixed with more than a little concern, an infuriated Duo grabbed a pillow and hurled it across the room. 

"Heero, you stupid jerk!!!" 

**************** 

It took two mugs of coffee, three eggs, half a package of bacon, and a heaping bowl of cereal before Duo finally started to calm down. With a sigh, he flopped down on the sofa and stared at the cracked plaster ceiling. 

(I shouldn't be the least bit surprised. After all the indoctrination that creepy Dr. J probably put Heero through, I should be grateful that he has the ability to feel any emotions at all. But still, I wish that he had said *something* before leaving....) 

Last night.... 

Duo frowned slightly. After Heero had finally lost it and tossed him against the wall, his memories of last night became rather vague. 

 (I didn't think I knocked my head that hard during our last mission. Then again, Heero slammed me into the wall hard enough to make my teeth rattle. Not that I blame him considering how I've been leading him on. I'm just surprised that it took this long for him to snap.) 

He shrugged. Even if he was suffering a slight concussion, it should be completely gone by the time Deathscythe and Wing were operational again. Besides, although the exact details of last night might elude him, he could never forget the most important thing. 

(I never imagined Heero could make me feel so damn GOOD....) 

A slow dreamy grin crept across Duo's face as he momentarily lost himself in hazy memories of Heero's mouth on his... feeling Heero's hands all over him..... He suddenly uttered a rueful chuckle. Just the thought of Heero touching him was enough to make him hard. And as for thinking about having Heero actually *inside* him, moving with slow, firm.... 

(Nope, nope, better not think about THAT too much or I'm going to be stuck walking around with a big bulge in my pants!) 

But the moment of good humor quickly faded as Duo remembered that there was no telling how soon he would see Heero again. 

(Hell, maybe it's better this way. It'll give him a chance to get his equilibrium back. But if he tries to shut me out and decides that last night was just an one-time event, he's got another thing coming!) 

And the next time he saw Heero, he was bloody well going to rake mister Perfect Soldier over the coals for sneaking off without so much as a word.... 

**************** 

Two days after Heero's departure, Duo sat fuming at the email message displayed on his laptop. It bluntly read: 

"Remain at location and await further communication -- HY." 

The Deathscythe pilot slammed his coffee mug on the table and muttered, "Well, that was certainly short and sweet. What the hell does he think I am? A fucking dog to be told to sit and stay? Screw you, Heero!" Giving the screen the one-finger salute was rather unsatisfying, but better than nothing. 

Duo almost decided to grab his things and leave, just to show Heero a thing or two, but when Howard asked him to help install some of upgrades in Deathscythe and Wing later that afternoon, he decided to remain for at least a few more days. 

As he marched across the hanger to the severely damaged Wing, Duo muttered, "Idiot. Moron. Where does he get off telling me where to friggin' well go or not go? Serves that jerk right if I painted his damn Gundam bright pink." He scrambled up the ladder, threw himself into Wing's cockpit, and began to remove various fried electronic components. 

As he concentrated on his task, Duo's smoldering resentment gradually began to fade. Everything about the cockpit constantly reminded him of Heero, from the faint imprint on the pilot seat's cushions to the slightly worn spots on the controls where Heero's hands frequently rested. 

(I wondering what hell he's doing at this very moment.) 

/ ....lonely.... / 

Duo's head jerked up in surprise. For an instant, he thought someone was speaking to him, but a quick glance at his surroundings told him that was no one around at the moment. Shaking his head, he decided that it was just his imagination and continued to work. 

/ ....empty.... / 

He glanced up with a frown. There it was again, whatever *it* was -- something that was more sensed than heard. He got out of the cockpit and peered around the hanger, but all the techs and Howard were apparently still at dinner. 

"This is fucking ridiculous," he announced to no one in particular. 

With renewed determination, Duo crawled back under one of Wing's consoles and tried to ignore the faint sense of hollowness deep inside him. 

/ ....lonely.... / 

God, the cockpit even *smelled* of Heero! Duo slammed the wrench down on the floor and hauled himself out of the cockpit. 

"Shit, that guy's not even here and he's driving me crazy!" 

Storming away from Wing, Duo headed back to his room for a decidedly restless night's sleep. 

**************** 

The next day turned out even worse. The empty bed across the room, the unoccupied seat at the kitchen table... every little thing served to remind Duo of Heero and his absence. A hard day's work on Deathscythe, hours watching stupid TV shows, and a noisy card game with some of the techs do nothing to relieve the steadily growing feeling of loneliness in Duo. 

Four days after Heero's departure, Duo was about to climb the walls in frustration. Working himself into physical exhaustion did nothing to push Heero from his mind and the empty hollowness in his gut had transformed into something frighteningly familiar. 

Desire. Raw, insatiable sexual desire. 

Duo was very much aware that he was becoming totally obsessed with Heero. Unable to sleep in the bedroom he had shared with Heero, he had tried napping on the sofa in the living room, but the steadily growing hunger inside him allowed him no rest. Finally, almost against his will, Duo stumbled back into their bedroom and crawled into the Wing pilot's bed in a desperate search for some relief. 

He tried. He really, really tried, but no matter how he touched or fondled himself, Duo simply could not achieve the slightest release or satisfaction. In fact, the whole futile exercise only served to turn a dull, persistent ache into a burning, searing intense lust. As he lay panting and shaking, Duo instinctively knew that any attempts at stronger stimulation would only make the craving much, much worse. He also knew that only one person could make him feel better. 

"Heero...," Duo whispered into the darkness. Closing his eyes turned out to be a mistake, as endless images of the Wing pilot bombarded his restless mind... memories of Heero's hands stroking and caressing... the taste of Heero's lips in his mouth.... And somewhere deep inside Duo, an insidious, maddening whisper kept repeating.... 

/ .... help me.... / / .... save me.... / / .... hold me.... / / .... touch me.... / / .... fill me.... / / .... fuck me.... / 

Only one thing kept the braided pilot from leaping up and chasing Heero down that very instant. Heero had clearly and explicitly demanded -- no, ordered -- Duo to stay where he was and await further word. More effectively than any rope or chain, that message prevented Duo from seeking Heero out. No matter how badly he felt at the moment, he dreaded the mere thought of disobeying and possibly angering Heero even more. 

/ .... command me.... / / .... control me.... / 

Duo spent the remainder of the night in a trance-like stupor on Heero's bed. The faint trace of the Wing pilot's scent that lingered on the sheets helped ease Duo's loneliness, but it only deepened the craving inside him. 

**************** 

The next day, Duo found himself vaguely astounded at his own acting ability. Absolutely no one seemed to notice anything wrong with him, while on the inside, he felt like a trapped, starving animal screaming and howling for sustenance. 

/ .... I hunger.... / 

He started and won a water balloon fight with Howard's techs. 

/ .... I ache.... / 

He recalibrated his Gundam's thermal scythe. 

/ .... I burn.... / 

He talked Wufei into cooking lunch AND doing the dishes. 

/ .... I hurt.... / 

He worked some more on Deathscythe, installing the upgraded stealth package that Prof. G had sent over. 

/ .... I want.... / 

He went shopping for groceries. 

/ .... I need.... / 

He helped a young girl fix her bike on the way back. 

/ .... I submit.... / 

He cooked a rather tasty dinner, which seemed to shock Wufei. 

/ .... I love.... / 

He played poker with Howard and won everything the older man had, including his bright Hawaiian shirt. 

/ .... I obey.... / 

He sat alone in his bedroom and waited. 

/ .... Heero.... / 

And the hunger in his body and the need in his heart continued to grow. 

**************** 

That night, five full days after Heero's abrupt departure, Duo exploded off his bed and bolted for the bathroom. Too desperate to even turn on the lights, he fumbled with the shower controls until a sharp twist sent a spray of bone-chilling water pouring down on his head. 

He slowly sagged to the floor of the shower enclosure, shuddering and panting like a panicked animal... or a beast in heat. It wasn't working. The uncontrollable lust ravaging his body refused to be cooled by the icy deluge. 

(Shit make it stop make it stop make it STOP!!!) 

Duo flung his head back and uttered a low hopeless moan as he squeezed his thighs together and pounded his fists on the tiled floor in a futile effort to regain some control over his rebellious body. 

(God, I need to be fucked SO BAD!!!) 

But he also knew that just any damn cock would not do. There was only one person who could fill the monstrous void growing inside him. 

"Heero... help me... please...," he sobbed quietly, wrapping his arms over his head as his tears mingled with the chilly water trickling down his face. 

**************** 

By morning, Duo's mask was intact and back in place. He stood in the doorway with coffee mug in one hand, a broad grin on his face, and cheerfully waved good-bye as Wufei threw his gear onto a motorcycle and took off on a solo mission. 

But even as Duo continued to outwardly act in his usual cheerful, boisterous manner throughout the day, deep inside he was finding it harder and harder to think in any coherent fashion. All he could think of was Heero... where was Heero?... what was Heero doing?... when was Heero going to call him?.... 

During the occasional moment of clarity, Duo was all too aware that something was terribly wrong with him, but he could do nothing to stop it. 

(I'm going crazy....) 

(And I don't really care....) 

(Should've warned Wufei....) 

(Nope... would've had to kill him then....) 

(No one can know... except Heero....) 

(Heero... Heero... Heero.... damn it, why YOU, Heero!? What the fuck did you DO to me!?) 

As if in response to his anger, Duo immediately felt a vicious, punishing stab of pain, even as the overwhelming lust chewing at his mind seemed to redouble in strength. Sagging to his knees under the fierce onslaught, Duo frantically corrected himself. 

(Wrong... wrong... Heero isn't to blame. Mustn't blame Heero. Blaming Heero is WRONG. He's the only one who can make me feel better. I love Heero.) 

As Duo desperately repeated the last thought over and over again, the agonizing pain in his head gradually vanished. However, the horrible sense of emptiness and the intensified sexual craving did not. 

(That's right. I love Heero. I NEED Heero. Heero's the only thing that matters. I'll do anything for Heero....) 

His acute hearing picked up the faint chirp of the phone within the house. He dashed inside and grabbed it before the third chirp ended. 

"Hello?" he said breathlessly. 

"Duo." 

The sound of Heero's familiar, slightly nasal voice coming over the secure line nearly made his knees buckle in sheer lust. 

"Heero?" the braided pilot said weakly, an involuntary smile curving his lips. "Where have you been?" 

"That's not important. I want you to meet me the Mossgraven Resort, just outside Steffreit City." 

"Sure. Anything you say," Duo said in a near daze. He could barely keep himself from whimpering from a combination of desire and relief -- desire for Heero and relief that the Wing pilot hadn't forgotten about him. 

"I don't need the sarcasm. Just get here ASAP." Before Duo could say anything, Heero continued, "I want you to get Relena out of my way." 

"R-Relena?" Abruptly jerked from the steamy sexual fantasy he was building in his mind, Duo blurted, "What do you mean 'Relena'?" 

"You know who I mean." 

"You mean... Relena's THERE?" 

"Yes." 

"How long has SHE been around?" 

"She was already here when I arrived on Thursday," Heero replied in an annoyed voice. 

"You went to... her? You've been with Relena all this time? Ever since we...?" 

(With Relena!? Why are you spending time with HER!? Why HER instead of ME!?) something within Duo screamed. 

The fact that Heero didn't sound the least bit pleased about Relena's presence was totally irrelevant to Duo at the moment. All he could think of was that Relena had somehow taken something away from him... something he wanted... something he desperately needed. 

"Duo, I'm too busy to talk about that right now. Dealing with Relena is more important. She's currently playing mediator between OZ and several striking labor unions. I don't want her here. She's interfering with my mission." 

"What do you expect me to do with her?" Duo muttered, his already tangled thoughts becoming more and more jumbled by the second. 

"I don't care how you do it. Just find a way to get rid of her." 

"Rid of her?" 

"Just do it. Contact me after you're finished." And with that, Heero uttered an irritated snort, then hung up, leaving Duo staring blankly at the phone. 

(He leaves me alone and runs straight to Relena. Heero, you miserable, two-timing little bastard!) 

But almost before he finished that last thought, the agonizing pain exploded inside him again. As he grabbed at the table to keep from falling, Duo frantically did some mental backpedaling. 

(No, not Heero's fault. Never Heero's fault. It's NOT. It's Relena's. She's to blame... sneaky, lying little bitch!) 

At the moment, he wasn't quite capable of figuring out the details, but he was sure that Relena had to be responsible for the utter hell he had suffered through the last several days. He had to be. He had to convince himself that Relena and only Relena was at fault, otherwise he would never be able to make the pain go away.... 

"Rid of her?" he repeated softly to himself. "Heero wants me to get rid of her?" 

Out of the chaos raging in his mind, a single clear idea emerged. There was a crazed gleam in Duo's violet eyes as he said brightly to the empty room, "Sure. Whatever you want, Heero." 

A small fragment of Duo's mind weakly protested, (You know that's NOT what he meant!!!), but that thin whisper of rationality was almost immediately drowned out by a churning torrent of rampant jealousy, frustration, and rage. 

He grinned madly as he pulled out a pistol, checked the magazine, then stuck it behind his back. 

Get rid of her. Fine. He'd get rid of Relena... permanently. 

That would make Heero happy. 

And if Heero was happy, then Duo would be happy, too. 

**************** 

[ Mossgraven Resort ] 

As Heero slowly put away his phone, he regretted being so curt with Duo. There were so many things he wanted to say... things he needed to say. Duo had sounded upset when he called, but that was understandable. He didn't blame Duo at all for being angry with him. As if sneaking off in the middle of the night without a single word wasn't bad enough, he had gone directly to Relena, of all people. 

Bullets, broken bones, and prospect of torture didn't faze him, but the thought of facing Duo after practically raping him had been too overwhelming. Never mind that in the end, Duo had been begging for Heero to fuck him. He shouldn't lost his temper in the first place. He shouldn't have lost control and pushed Duo so hard. 

He knew that Duo would be at the resort soon. Despite that annoyingly carefree act of his, the Deathscythe pilot was just as dedicated and reliable any of the other Gundam pilots. Duo would get the job done. But afterward, when the mission was complete, Heero still had the unenviable task of trying to explain his behavior to the one person he cared the most about. 

(And apologize for my damn stupidity.) 

"Heero?" Relena called out as she stepped out onto the balcony and walked toward him. 

"Have you made your decision?" he said coldly. 

She sighed. Reaching out to touch his arm, she said, "Heero, I simply CAN'T leave. They need me as mediator." 

Glaring at her, he shook off her hand and snapped, "Don't you see? The negotiations between OZ and the unions are a total farce. It's just a scheme to capture the union leaders and you're the Judas goat luring them into OZ's trap." 

Relena frowned. In a hurt voice, she replied, "That's not true, Heero! I know that you have your own reasons why you don't want the union workers back on the job, but people are getting hurt, even killed, in these labor strikes. If I can help prevent more bloodshed.... If I go now, the negotiations will collapse!" 

"Is that your final word?" 

Her hands clenched, leaving wrinkles in the fine silk of her dress, as she whispered, "I'm sorry... but I just can't leave. Even for you, Heero." 

She stared at him tensely, uncertain of his reaction. For a moment, she was afraid that he would attempt to forcibly remove her from the premises. That possibility was one of the reasons why Noin was keeping a careful eye on the conversation. However, the Wing pilot simply stared at her for a long moment, then shrugged and walked away without another word. 

(Relena, you idealistic fool. Don't you see what OZ is trying to do? Not only are they trying to capture the labor leaders, they're also trying to discredit you by making it appear that you knowingly collaborated with OZ in their arrest. And if you lose your credibility before the world, the chances for peace are almost nil.) 

He had told Relena as much, but the Peacecraft had stubbornly shaken her head, unable or perhaps unwilling to believe that her reputation could be so easily destroyed. It was obvious that Relena had no concept of what it was like to be considered untrustworthy or a liar, to have others doubt her sincerity or honor. She was too used to having people look up to her and believe her every word. He respected her intense dedication to peace, but sometimes he found Relena's blindness to the harsher aspects of reality profoundly annoying. 

(She means well, but sometimes she's so damn naive....) 

He silently slipped into the back corridors of the resort. 

(But I just don't have the time or the patience to keep arguing with her anymore. Other things need my attention. Let Duo deal with Relena.)


	4. Part 3 (rough draft)

It took less than four hours for Duo to arrive in Steffreit City, thanks to a little quick and dirty hacking that secured him a ticket on the next available commercial shuttle. At the Steffreit airport, he had paused for an instant in front of a reflective window to check his appearance. The facade was perfect. He looked just like an average, slightly bored teenager, probably headed back to school from spring vacation. 

With an eerie sense of detachment, Duo examined his image in the mirrored glass. No awkward bulges in his pants... no erratic breathing... no unexplained blushes or sweating... no stiff or jerky movements... there was absolutely no hint that he was nearly insane with lust. 

(Nearly insane? Oh, surely I've gone way beyond that....) 

During the entire flight, Heero's voice had echoed endlessly through his head. The actual words weren't important. Only the sound of his voice mattered. It was as if Heero had reached through the phone to touch him... caress him... to drive him even wilder with desire.... He desperately wanted to scream from the sheer intensity of his hunger. 

But he wouldn't. He couldn't. If he let his mask slip, he might be prevented from carrying out his mission. He wouldn't be able to obey Heero.... 

Duo's mind shied wildly away from pursuing that train of thought. The consequences of failing Heero... of displeasing Heero... were too horrible to contemplate. He ruthlessly fought back the urge to start whimpering and trembling in dread. 

To please Heero, he would say anything, do anything, BE anything. And if that meant he had to behave as if everything was absolutely normal, then that was the way he was going to act. 

Duo grinned cheerfully at his own reflection, adjusted the tilt of his cap to a suitably cocky angle, and casually strolled out the airport to steal a car. In less than an hour, he would be at Mossgraven Resort. 

**************** 

During the drive into the mountains surrounding the resort, a trace of Duo's normal, rational self continued make feeble protests. His plans was insane. HE was insane. He needed to warn someone about what was going on... Noin... Wufei... Trowa... Quatre... Heero.... 

But every single time, as soon as Duo's thoughts focused on Heero, those few fragments of rationality were immediately drowned out by the uncontrollable needs and emotions that now drove the Deathscythe pilot without mercy. 

**************** 

[ Mossgraven Resort ] 

Relena anxiously rose to her feet as Lucrezia Noin entered the room. 

"Did you find Heero?" 

The dark-haired woman shook her head and replied, "No, but that's hardly a surprise, considering who he is." 

The Peacecraft started pacing around the room and muttered, "I don't know what to do. He plans to break up the negotiations, I'm sure of it. I need to stop him, but how? I suppose I could warn security of a threat, but... but what if something happens to Heero? He could get caught or injured! And if I stand by and just do nothing, then he's certain to ruin any chance of a peaceable settlement between the labor unions and OZ!" 

She glanced at Noin and said, "You're my only hope! You've GOT to find Heero and stop him!" 

The former OZ officer sighed. "I'll do my best, Relena, but with such limited manpower, I have to tell you that it doesn't look too hopeful." 

"I know. But all we can do is try." As the other woman turned to leave, Relena called out, "And Noin? Thanks so much... for everything." 

"No problem. I understand your dilemma. You just worry about the negotiations. I'll handle everything else." 

**************** 

As soon as Noin disappeared around a corner, a young brown-haired waiter pushed a large, cloth-covered food serving cart down the hallway to Relena's suite. The waiter knocked on the door, then waited for a reply. He then fumbled briefly with the door knob and entered, rolling his serving cart inside. 

Three minutes later, the waiter exited the suite, closed the door behind him, then placidly rolled his cart down the hallway back toward the service elevators. 

**************** 

Less than ten minutes after the waiter's departure, Dorothy Catalonia appeared in the corridor and headed toward the suite she and Relena shared. Using her own key to open the door, she walked inside and looked around. 

"Relena?" 

Dorothy frowned when she received no response. The Peacecraft was supposed to be busily reviewing the labor unions' most recent demands. She glanced inside all the bedrooms and the bathroom, but found no sign of the other girl. After several minutes of fruitless searching, she pulled out her phone. 

"Noin, this is Dorothy. Where's Relena?" 

Over the phone, the other woman said in a clearly surprised voice, "What? She's not in the suite?" 

"I can't locate her. Could she have stepped out for a walk before dinner?" 

Noin's reply was sharp and empathic. "The security guard I left with her would have notified me if they were going to leave the suite for any reason." 

"A guard? Wait." Dorothy immediately started a more thorough search of the suite. This time, she checked all the closets and every possible hiding place she could think of. She found what she was looking for under her own bed. 

"Noin, you'd better get up here now. I found your security guard," Dorothy said over the phone. 

"What!?" 

"He was tied up, gagged, and stuffed underneath my bed. He's out cold." 

"Oh hell. And let me guess. Relena's gone." 

"Bravo." 

Noin muttered something obscene under her breath, then said, "I'll be right up." 

By the time Dorothy managed to pull the limp body of the heavy-set guard out into the open, Noin had arrived at the suite, only slightly out of breath. 

"Heero, you sneaky bastard," the dark-haired woman muttered. 

"Heero? Heero Yuy?" Dorothy said, her eyes bright with avid curiosity. 

"I think he took Relena to stop the negotiations. I sent one of my people to check the surveillance videos." 

As they struggled with the expertly tied knots on the unconscious guard, Noin's phone chirped. She flicked it open and listened for a moment, then started to curse. 

"What's wrong?" came Dorothy's impatient demand. 

"Someone sabotaged the hotel's security cameras in this area, then they rerouted signals from cameras in other locations to keep anyone from noticing the problem. I should have expected as much. No wonder those damn Gundam pilots are so hard to catch!" 

The Catalonia leaned against a table and said, "Now what?" 

"We try to find Relena and Heero. What else?" 

"I'll notify hotel security...." 

"No! If we do that, there's a good chance that the unions' representatives will panic and leave. That's just what Heero wants! But if we can find Relena in the next few hours, we might be able to salvage this situation." 

Dorothy tapped her lips thoughtfully, then said, "All right. Do it your way." With a careless shrug and a flick of her long blond hair, she added, "Besides, it's not as if Relena's in any danger from Heero." 

Noin growled, "That's my only consolation in this whole mess!" 

**************** 

In the hotel's basement, Duo quickly stripped off the waiter's uniform. He then reached down to haul the gagged and unconscious Relena from the covered cart. He tossed her over his shoulder and briskly headed off down one of the resort's secluded hiking trails toward a location he has scouted out upon his arrival. 

As he effortlessly carried Relena away from the resort, a dangerously crazed smirk curled his lips when he recalled the moronic look of surprise that appeared on Relena's face as he knocked out the security guard. But when he turned to deal with her, he had hesitated for an instant as reason struggled to reassert itself... but then he had picked up the traces of Heero's scent in Relena's suite... and on Relena. 

And at that moment, reason and restraint took a flying leap out the window. 

He wanted to kill her right then and there. He wanted to leave her broken and bleeding corpse on the luxuriously carpeted floor, but that would have been too easy. He needed Relena to know just how worthless she was to Heero and everyone else. He was doing the entire world a favor by killing her. But more importantly, she had to pay for luring Heero away from him. She had to pay for all the misery he had endured over the last several days and all the torment he felt right now, but wasn't allowed to show or express. 

Fortunately, his brief hesitation hadn't mattered. The bitch had been so stupefied by his attack that she had remained frozen. Taking her out had been ridiculously easy. In less than a minute, she was unconscious, bound, gagged, and securely stuffed inside the cart. 

Duo smiled as he stepped out of the woods and onto an outcrop overlooking a spectacular view of a waterfall cascading down one of the very deep gorges that made the Mossgraven Resort so famous. 

Perfect. Simply perfect. 

Soon it would be over and he finally would be with Heero again. 

**************** 

The sting of several hard slaps to her face slowly brought Relena back to consciousness. The first thing she was aware of was the sharp ache in her neck and a low roaring in her ears. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw a pair of black boots. Cautiously turning her head, she eventually found herself gazing up at a pair of icy, violet eyes. 

"D-Duo!?" 

"Glad you're finally awake, Relena dear. I thought that I might have to resort to forceful means of persuasion," he said, tapping his booted foot on the concrete in an ominous manner. 

She gaped at him uncomprehendingly. It simply didn't make sense. It was true that she and Duo didn't exactly get along, but when he teased or even insulted her, he always did so in a joking, good-humored sort of way. But Duo Maxwell definitely wasn't joking now. And she had never heard such venomous malice in anyone's voice before. 

"What's going on!? Where am I?" she demanded. 

He simply grabbed a handful of her long hair and painfully jerked her head around. After uttering a sharp yelp of pain, Relena realized that she was on one of the outcrops near the famous Mossgraven waterfalls. That explained the constant low roaring in her ears. Duo then dumped her back on the ground like a piece of unwanted trash. 

No matter how strangely Duo was acting, she refused to simply lie there cowering at his feet. It was only as she struggled to get to her feet that Relena realized that her hands were handcuffed together. 

"Duo! What do you think you're doing!?" she shouted at him, tugging futilely at the cold metal around her wrists. 

His dark smile sent shivers down her spine. He calmly reached behind his back, pulled out a silenced gun, and flicked the safety off. 

"You should learn to follow Heero's orders better, Relena," he said genially, as he held the pistol pointed directly at her head. 

She stared at him blankly for a moment, then said in a tone of disbelief, "What!? Most of the time YOU don't do what Heero tells you to do, either!" 

Duo simply gave her an eerie, cryptic little smile. 

"Perhaps. But now I know better." 

She shook her head and said in near desperation, "You can't do this, Duo! If you're really serious about following Heero's orders, what do you think he's going to say if you hurt me!?" 

For a brief instant, she thought she managed to get through whatever madness possessed Duo. The unnerving smile faded slightly and his glittering violet eyes seemed to darken with some hidden pain. The gun barrel wavered ever so slightly. But just as suddenly, the soulless little smirk was back and Duo's eyes gleamed with barely controlled anticipation. 

"But you see, I *AM* following Heero's orders." 

"What did you say!?" 

"Heero told me to get rid of you. And that's exactly what I'm going to do." And with that, he pulled the trigger. Twice. 

**************** 

Dorothy crossed the narrow bridge spanning the gorge and headed for the paved hiking trails in search of Relena and Heero. Noin's people were searching the hotel, but she thought that it was more likely that Heero would have taken Relena through to woods, perhaps to a waiting car. 

(Sorry, Heero. I can't let you run off with her. Not yet, at least.) 

Just as she was about to turn into the woods, Dorothy saw a flash of blue from the corner of her eye -- the same shade of blue as Relena's dress. She turned and scanned the opposite side of the gorge, then smiled faintly as she saw Relena standing in one of the scenic overlook areas. However, she frowned slightly when she realized that the person with Relena was not Heero. The hair was too light to be the Wing pilot's, but the person didn't look like Chang or Barton. A fleeting glimpse of a long braid clinched the identification for her. 

(Duo Maxwell! I should have considered the possibility that Heero might have a partner working with him. That was careless of me.) 

Dorothy stiffened when she realized that Duo was holding a gun. And he was pointing the gun directly at Relena. 

(What the hell IS he doing?) 

Her jaw dropped open as two distinct splatters of red suddenly erupted from the lower half of Relena's dress. 

Although it was difficult to hear anything because of the nearby waterfall, Dorothy knew exactly what had happened as she watched the other girl spin, then fall heavily to the ground. 

(He shot her. Maxwell just SHOT Relena!) 

Dorothy yanked out her phone and yelled, "Noin! Relena's just been shot! By Duo Maxwell! Get your ass down here to the first overlook on trail #4! Now!" 

Hanging up before the other woman could reply, Dorothy ran back across the bridge toward the overlook, swearing in frustration at being unarmed. 

**************** 

Back in Relena's quarters, Noin growled, "I swear, when I get my hands on you, Heero, I'll...! 

"You'll do what?" said a familiar male monotone. 

Noin spun around to see Heero standing in the open doorway to the hotel suite. 

"Heero!" 

He continued to stare at her with those cold, cobalt blue eyes that gave nothing away. 

"Where's Relena? Where have you taken her!?" Noin demanded furiously. 

A dark eyebrow went up as Heero frowned, "What are you talking about?" 

"Don't try to tell me that you didn't have anything to do with her disappearance!" 

He glared at her and said flatly, "I haven't seen Relena since our conversation this morning." 

Just at that moment, Noin's phone chirped. As soon as she answered, both she and Heero could hear Dorothy loudly yelling, "Noin! Relena's just been shot! By Duo Maxwell! Get your ass down here to the cascade overlook on the northern trail! Now!" 

Noin and Heero stared blankly at the phone, then looked at each other in utter disbelief. 

Taking in Heero's astonished expression, she knew in an instant that the Wing pilot had absolutely no idea what was going on. 

Then without a word, they both ran out of the suite and headed for the overlook. 

**************** 

The muffled gunfire were inaudible over the constant rumble of the waterfalls, but Relena didn't have to hear the shots to know that Duo had pulled the trigger. Blood spurted onto the pale blue fabric of her dress as a high, thin scream of pain tore from her throat. As she fell to the hard concrete, Relena could swear that someone had plunged a white-hot spike into each of her thighs. With almost morbid fascination, she watched as the scarlet flowers seemed to sprout, then slowly bloom across her dress. 

Trembling from the excruciating pain, Relena frantically shook her head and shouted hysterically, "No! That's a LIE! You're lying! Heero cares about me! He wouldn't tell you to hurt me!" 

"What he said was, 'I don't care how you do it. Just find a way to get rid of her.'" Duo's smile widened cruelly. "Why does that shock you so much? If you're not chasing after him and pestering him, you're constantly causing other problems for him by being selfish, naive, and too fucking stubborn. Why should you be surprised that he should finally get fed up with dealing with you, you stupid bitch!" 

"That's... that's not true!" Relena sobbed painfully as she desperately fought to stay conscious while stanching the flow of blood from her legs. Sprawled on the cold hard ground, Relena could feel warm liquid seeping out of the wounds, trickle around her legs, then puddle underneath her. She glanced up at Duo and felt a brief flash of relief when she saw that the gun was no longer pointed in her direction. Even as she watched, Duo calmly unloaded the pistol. He dropped the magazine in a pocket, then tucked the gun back into his waistband. 

He shook his head and chuckled when he saw the hope on her face. 

"Oh no. I'm not through with you. Yet." 

She stared at him in confusion as he stepped behind her, grabbed hold of her neck and the waistband of her dress, then he picked her off the bloodstained ground with almost ridiculous ease. 

Then he carried her over to the guard rail. 

"No! NO! NOOOO!!!" she screamed in terror. The pain in her legs was momentarily forgotten as she struggled wildly to grab hold of anything that might conceivably keep her from being hurtled into the gorge. 

**************** 

Dorothy reached the scenic outlook just in time to see Duo starting to toss the terrified Relena over the guard rail. Doing the only thing she could think of, she lunged toward Duo and tackled him from the side, hoping to use her body weight to force both the Gundam pilot and Relena away from the railing and the hundred meter drop beyond. 

She succeeded, but only partially. Wrapping her arms around Duo's waist, Dorothy yanked backward as hard as she could. Duo lost his grip on Relena and fell back on top of Dorothy, crushing the breath out of her. 

Unfortunately, the wounded girl did not land safely behind the guard rail. Instead, she fell heavily on top of it. Nearly unconscious from her rib-cracking impact with the sturdy metal railing, combined with the pain from her other injuries, Relena was unable to pull herself to safety. Instead, she teetered precariously on the railing for a few seconds, then slowly began to slide off in the wrong direction -- toward the bottom of the gorge. 

In the meantime, Dorothy desperately tried to get a necklock on Duo to prevent him from going after Relena again, but only got a vicious elbow in her stomach for her efforts. Duo swiftly rolled off her, leapt to his feet, then turned and smoothly slammed an equally merciless kick in Dorothy's ribcage just as she pulled herself onto her hands and knees. Nearly retching from the blow, she somehow managed to block the second kick and grab hold of Duo's leg, but was forced to let go or risk getting her neck broken. 

(Shit! He's so fucking fast! And strong!) 

After years of training in the martial arts, Dorothy knew she was better than just good, but Duo was definitely out of her class. All she could hope for was to buy enough time for Heero and Noin to show up. The other woman might not be able to handle Duo, but surely Heero could do SOMETHING.... 

She scuttled backward, still holding her ribs, and warily watched her braided opponent. But instead of going after her as she hoped, Duo turned back to Relena, who had managed to grab hold of the lowest horizontal rail. However, her blood-slicked grip was visibly slipping as shock and blood loss took its toll on her. 

Glancing wildly around her, Dorothy's eyes fell on a nearby rock. It was just slightly smaller than a baseball and perfect for throwing. So that was exactly what she did. Ignoring the pain in her stomach, she scooped up the rock and hurtled it directly at Duo's head. It was no wild fling, but rather a skilled, hard throw that used every bit of muscle power she had. It probably would have caused a serious, possibly fatal injury. However, at this point, the furious Dorothy really didn't care. 

Without even looking once, Duo lifted a hand, caught the rock in mid-air, and with a casual snap of his deceptively slender wrist, whipped it right back at the startled Dorothy. As the chunk of stone slammed into her left side and knocked her to the ground, she thought she heard a faint crack of bone breaking. 

**************** 

Through the railing, Relena saw Dorothy fall to the ground. She glanced upward and stubbornly choked back a whimper of fear as Duo leaned over the railing and stared down at her before reaching for her hands as they desperately clung to the only thing saving her from a hundred meters fall. 

As his hands closed on her wrists, he said urgently, "Relena, let go." 

"No! I won't! You can't make me!" 

"God damn it, Relena! I'm trying to save your neck here! Now let go!" Duo retorted frantically as he tugged cautiously, trying to make Relena release her deathgrip on the metal bar without injuring her further. However, she continued to resist with all her remaining strength. 

"No no no no!" 

"Relena, I swear to God that I'm NOT going to hurt you!" 

"You expect me to believe THAT!?" 

"If you stay there, you're going to fucking well fall!" he yelled at her. 

"If I let go, you're fucking well going to drop me!" she shrieked back. 

"No I won't!" 

"Yes you will!" 

"No I won't!" 

"Yes you will!" 

"I WON'T!" 

"YOU WILL! 

"WON'T!!!" 

"WILL!!!" 

"Oh, Christ. Can't either of you come up with something more creative?" Dorothy groaned as she staggered over to the railing. Duo visibly flinched as he took a quick look at the Catalonia's obviously battered condition. 

There was a long silence, then Relena said tentatively, "D-Duo?" 

"....Yeah?" came his equally tentative reply. He peered back over the railing. Worried blue eyes locked with anguished violet eyes. 

Finally, Relena said, "Um... are you...um, okay now?" 

Doing the best to ignore the pain of her own cracked ribs, Dorothy stared suspiciously at Duo and said, "I think she wants to know if you've finally got your head screwed on straight?" 

The braided pilot gave both girls an oddly panicked look. 

"....Not really." 

**************** 

Duo had no idea what snapped him out of his psychotic haze. Perhaps it was Relena's terrified screams. Perhaps it was the wrestling match with Dorothy. All he knew was that he found himself standing on the edge of a near bottomless gorge asking himself, (WHAT THE FUCK AM I *DOING*!?!?) 

But what frightened him much more that he had absolutely no idea how long this lucidity would last. Even now, the faint traces of Heero's scent clinging to Relena was fueling the wild cravings inside him, twisting his thoughts around... making the most horrible and atrocious of acts seem merely practical or even downright enjoyable. 

Yes, he could so easily picture Relena hitting the bottom of the gorge and making a pretty blue and red splotch.... 

"Oh god, somebody stop me...," he moaned softly as he clung dizzily to the railing. 

"DUO!!!" 

His legs nearly collapsed from the overwhelming sexual need that surged up inside him at the sound of THAT voice. 

Duo spun around and found himself pinned by Heero's furious blue stare. 

**************** 

During his and Noin's mad race down to the cascade outlook, Heero attempted, but simply could not make sense of Dorothy's message. It was easier to believe that Dorothy Catalonia, one of the most cool-headed people he knew, had gotten everything hopelessly confused than to believe that Duo tried to kill Relena. 

But as he stood on the outlook and stared into Duo's wide, guilt-stricken eyes, both he and Noin KNEW Dorothy had not been mistaken or confused. Not in the least. 

"Will SOMEBODY help me!" Dorothy snarled as she struggled to keep Relena from completely losing her grip. Noin shook off her stunned paralysis and ran to the railing. 

Heero followed, shoving his anger aside for the moment, just as he coldly shoved Duo out of his way as he went to assist Noin in pulling Relena to safety. As he lifted her back over the railing and placed her carefully on the ground, there was no missing the bloody gunshot wounds on her legs. Dorothy's injuries were just as obvious. 

As Heero supported Relena, Noin carefully lifted up Relena's dress and inhaled sharply. 

"How bad is it?" he demanded in a tight voice. 

"It's nasty, but I don't think he hit the femoral artery or any bones." The dark-haired woman said furiously, "Why! Why did he tried to kill her!?" 

Heero looked up, but Duo was nowhere to be seen. 

Relena uttered a sharp hiss of pain, as she twisted around to look at Heero. Grabbing his arm, she said urgently, "You've got to go after him." 

Heero's expression was closed and stony as he said flatly, "I'll deal with him later...." 

"No! You don't understand. I think that deep inside, he didn't really mean to do it. Just before you showed up, I think he was actually trying to pull me to safety." 

"Are you sure?" Noin said with a dubious air. 

"There was something in the look in his eyes.... I can't explain any better, but Heero, you need to find him and talk to him. Listen to what he has to say before you do anything. Please?" 

Noin scowled angrily. "I don't know what's going on, but we can't let him go roaming around loose in some sort of homicidal haze. Don't worry, Heero, I'll take care of Relena and Dorothy. You go after Duo." 

As he rose to his feet, Dorothy said between careful breaths, "I think he took the trail to the left." 

Heero nodded shortly and without another word, he disappeared into the woods. 

**************** 

Duo had no idea where he was going. All he could think of was the look of fury on Heero's face. But even worse than Heero's anger was the barely hidden sense of betrayal Duo detected in Heero's eyes. 

(He hates me. Heero hates me. He trusted me and I betrayed that trust. I knew he really didn't want Relena hurt. I KNEW what he really mean. But I went ahead and tried to kill her, just to satisfy my own jealousy.) 

/ You've done something wrong. / You've made Heero angry. / You disobeyed him.  / You HURT Heero. / You need to be punished.... / ....Severely punished.... 

"No...," he whimpered softly as the pain in his head started to intensify. 

"DUO." 

As he skidded to a halt, he shuddered at the coldness in Heero's voice. He didn't want to face Heero's anger, but there was no point in trying to run away. He couldn't escape the knowledge of his own wrongdoing. Turning slowly, he shivered as he turned around to face his judge and very possibly, his executioner. 

"Did you shoot Relena?" Heero demanded in icy tones. 

"H-H-Heero, I...." 

"Give me just a fucking yes or no!" 

"Y-Yes." 

(Please please please I'm sorry I'm so sorry don't hate me please Heero I need you I hurt so bad please make it go away Heero....) 

"Did you try to throw her into the gorge?" 

"....Yes." 

"Why?" 

Duo desperately wanted to explain... not try to excuse his actions, but simply to explain as best he could. However, he found himself already answering Heero's question in the simplest, but most incriminating manner possible. 

"Because... because you told me to get rid of her." 

"Bullshit! I want the REAL reason you tried to kill her, Duo!" 

Some weak instinct for self-preservation made him want to remain silent because the truth would only infuriate Heero even more. But at the moment, he simply couldn't cope with even the thought of trying to refuse Heero anything, considering everything Duo had already done to hurt him. So all he could do was sit back and helplessly watch the damning words spill out of his mouth. 

"I... I was... jealous... that she was with you...." 

The dangerous glint in Heero's eyes told him that he was steadily digging his own grave deeper, but he couldn't make himself shut up. 

"I... I hated the fact that Relena could see you... touch you... when I... when I couldn't...." 

Heero gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, as if attempting to resist the urge to hit him. 

(Please if it will make you feel better hit me beat me do anything you want just don't hate me please....) 

"Let me understand this, Duo. You tried to kill Relena because you were jealous that I was with her. Is that basically it?" 

"Yes." 

Without warning, Heero slammed his fist into a nearby tree, sending chunks of bark and wood flying. 

"Damn it, Duo!" 

"Heero...!" he cried out, taking a frantic step forward as he saw the blood start to ooze from the scrapes and cuts on Heero's hand. 

The Wing pilot snarled, "Shut up. I don't want to hear it. Not another word. Not another sound. Just SHUT UP, Duo!" 

With those few simple words, Duo found himself gagged more effectively than if Heero had crammed a ball gag into his mouth. Mute, unable to utter so much as a whimper, he could only watch helplessly as Heero turned away as if unable to tolerate the mere sight of him. 

Already writhing inwardly in an agonizing morass of guilt, shame, lust, loneliness, and fear, Duo could only wait for Heero to pass judgement on his sins. But when the words eventually came, the pain in Heero's voice hurt him thousand times more than any physical beating could. With every softly spoken word, the torment increased. The pain intensified. 

"Duo, I thought I could rely on you. I trusted you to help me. Then you go and do something crazy like this, just because you're JEALOUS? Of Relena? Do you expect me to thank you for showing me how much you 'care' about me? Is this an example of how much you trust ME?" With his back still turned toward Duo, Heero's voice became harsher and angrier. "Besides, you have no damn right to be so fucking possessive. A few hours of sex and now you think you own me?" 

In Duo's ears, Heero's words started to blur hopelessly together. They made no sense, but the intonation... the emotion... he didn't need to understand the words to sense the anger, the blame, the total disgust.... 

/ That's right. Why should he care?. / Why should he help you? / You're nothing to him. 

Still bound to total silence, he clawed at his skull in a futile effort to ease the pain. But everything in him hurt. Everything in him needed. 

/ You talk about Relena giving him / problems. Look what you've done. / It's all your fault. Your selfishness. / Heero saved you. Helped you to survive / the emptiness... the void. And this / is how you pay him back? By hurting him?  / By betraying him? Don't you deserve / every bit of punishment you get? 

(Yes... I deserve this... all of it....) 

/ This will teach you to think of / anything except pleasing Heero. 

(Right. Heero's all that matters. Whatever he wants....) 

/ You want his kindness, you have to earn it. / Then maybe... just maybe... he'll be / generous and make you feel better. 

Duo's legs refused to support him anymore. He slowly sagged to his knees and curled up into a tormented, need-wracked ball of suffering. 

(Oh god I can't stand this it hurts so bad Heero stop please I'm sorry sorry sorry I'll be good please stop it I'll do anything anything just tell me what you from me I'll do it I want so empty help me help me please I need you in me so bad hurt me punish me use me but don't leave me alone don't ignore me need you touch me please Heero...!) 

**************** 

As the anger slowly ebbed from Heero's system, he reluctantly admitted that part of the reason he was lashing out so harshly at Duo was because of his own sense of guilt. He shouldn't have run away like a coward after that first night. He should have at least talked to Duo before leaving. But the emotions he felt after making love to Duo had been so overwhelming, so frightening, that he had run away instead of staying to deal with the aftermath. 

(This is your mess, so deal with it.) 

He took deep breath and turned around. 

"Du...." 

For an instant, he thought that Duo had fled the scene, then he glanced down and saw the fetal ball that was Duo Maxwell quivering on the ground. 

There was no resistance as he frantically gripped Duo's shoulders and pulled him out of his huddled posture to get a better look at his face. But as soon as he saw Duo's expression, he nearly dropped the braided pilot back into the dirt. 

He was all too familiar with the look of suffering on people's faces, but was nothing compared to what he saw in Duo's pale, drawn face and vacantly staring eyes. The sight left him with a horrible knot in his stomach and a strangled feeling in his throat. 

"Duo? Duo!? What's wrong!?" 

Repeated shaking and yelling did nothing to free Duo from whatever hellish trance he was under. Finally, Heero gave him the only mercy he could. Firm, but careful pressure on Duo's throat was all it took to render the Deathscythe pilot unconscious. However, the muscle tension in Duo's body as he picked the braided pilot up told Heero that even unconsciousness was not enough to fully stop Duo's pain. 

All he could do now was get Duo to Sally Po as quickly as possible. 

**************** 

Just as Noin finished bandaging Relena's legs, her phone chirped. She pulled it out and listened carefully. Her expression turned even grimmer, if that was possible. Finally, she murmured a quick 'thank you' and disconnected. 

The dark-haired woman knelt down by a decidedly pale Relena and said quietly, "This probably isn't the time, but... you need to know." 

The Peacecraft shook her head a few time to clear it, then said, "What's wrong?" 

"I just got a report from one of my informants. A large number of OZ troops have been ordered to surround this location. Mobile suits, ground forces, armored vehicles... the works." 

Relena gazed blankly at Noin, her thoughts racing. Finally, she whispered, "Heero was right all along. This whole meeting... it was just an OZ trap. All this time, their representative was just stringing me and the labor unions along. God, I feel so damn stupid!" 

"What do you want to do?" 

Relena stared down at her hands and felt vaguely surprised to see they were tightly clenched into fists. 

"Noin, warn the union representatives that this whole area is a trap. And after that.... Get me the hell away from here. I'm starting to hate this place." 

"All right. But both you and Dorothy need to see a doctor...." 

"I know just the person. I'm leaving right now," Heero said. 

All three women glanced up as the Wing pilot stalked toward them, with an obviously unconscious Duo slung over his shoulder. But it was the visible tension and worry on Heero's face that brought Noin immediately to her feet. 

"What happened to Duo? Did you...?" 

"He's hurting and I don't know why." Before Noin ask any questions, he snapped tersely, "I need to get him to Sally Po as soon as possible. I'll explain what happened on the way," Glancing at Noin, he said, "I have transportation. Can you carry Relena? It's not far." 

She glanced at Relena, who gave her a tired, but firm nod, then said to the Wing pilot, "We'll manage somehow." 

"Can you keep up?" he asked Dorothy. 

"Try me." 

Without another word, Heero headed down another trail, carefully carrying his precious burden, followed by Noin and Relena, with Dorothy bringing up the rear.


	5. Part 4 (rough draft)

A half mile hike carrying Relena left Noin huffing and wheezing, but she managed it. However, the trip certainly wasn't easy on Relena. By the time they arrived at the ordinary-looking minivan, the injured girl was nearly unconscious and her wounds had started bleeding again. 

After he finished placing Duo on the middle seat of the vehicle, Heero helped Noin lift Relena onto the flattened backseat, then said, "Dorothy, take care of Relena. Noin, you drive," as he slid in beside the unconscious Deathscythe pilot. 

"All right. Just tell me where to go. Dorothy, have you got that bleeding back under control?" 

"Yes. But she's lost a lot of blood. I hope your doctor friend is nearby." 

As Noin started the engine, Heero called Sally Po. 

"Hello? Heero?" 

"We need your help." 

"Of course. Who's hurt?" Sally said in a concerned voice. 

"Relena's been shot in each thigh. Dorothy...," Heero leaned over his seat and brusquely yanked up Dorothy's blouse. As she swatted away his hand, Heero said to Sally, "Dorothy looks like she got some abdominal bruising, possibly some broken ribs, and a sprained wrist. Duo...." The Wing pilot's voice trailed off into silence. 

The doctor's voice sounded grim as she said, "Are his injuries that bad, Heero?" 

"It's... not that. He doesn't have any obvious physical injuries, but... he's in pain. A LOT of pain." 

There was long pause as Sally took in this information and all its unpleasant implications. Finally, she asked, "Is he at all responsive?" 

"No." 

"I think this is going to take more than some bandages and stitches. I'm going to need special diagnostic equipment. Where are you?" 

"About fifty minutes out of Seiffiert City." 

"Okay." The doctor thought carefully, then said, "I have an old classmate who runs a small, but exclusive psychiatric clinic in the area. It's on a secluded estate so we'll have privacy. And I'm pretty sure she's got at least the basic equipment I'll need for preliminary evaluations on Duo's condition." 

"Can you trust her?" Heero said bluntly. 

"Yes. I usually consult her when I encounter cases involving mental problems. She's also handled several patients for me. She also has no reason to do OZ any favors, Heero." 

"Where?" 

After giving Heero the address, Sally added, "I'll met you there as soon as possible." 

"Our ETA is...," he took a quick look at a map, "approximately an hour. Be careful. There's a lot of OZ troop movement in this area." 

"I understand. In an hour." 

**************** 

Sally frowned worriedly as she put away her phone and started to pack some supplies. If someone as stoic as Heero could consider Duo's suffering as 'a lot of pain'.... She shivered slightly, then hurried to grab another duffel bag with one hand while calling up her old friend with the other hand. 

**************** 

Even unconsciousness provided no protection or sanctuary for Duo. He kept hearing Heero's angry words over and over again.... 

"....your damn selfishness...." 

(Thinking only of myself... not of you... so wrong... my desires are nothing... my wants are nothing... my needs are nothing... I am NOTHING....) 

"....idiot... stupid... screwed up...." 

(Then teach me what you want... school me... use me... break me... make me completely yours... your weapon, your tool... your slave, your toy... anything so I can be worthy of your attention, Heero... worthy of your touch....) 

"....trusted you...." 

(Tell me how to please you... make you happy... that's all I want... to make you happy....) 

"....forgive you?...." 

(Yes! Please! Please forgive me, Heero. Forgive me! I need your forgiveness!) 

"....I won't...." 

(Your anger... your pain... your contempt... your hatred... it hurts so MUCH....) 

But he deserved it. All of it. The merciless punishment. The neverending agony. The emptiness consuming him. How could he possibly think of escape? This suffering would not... could not... SHOULD not stop until he learned his lessons perfectly.... 

Total obedience. Total loyalty. Total devotion. Total love. 

Until he was incapable of even thinking otherwise... until those lessons were seared so deeply into his mind, body, and soul that violating them would be utterly impossible. 

Until his master was completely satisfied.... 

Only then would Heero forgive him for his sins and stop his suffering. 

**************** 

As Noin drove toward the clinic quickly as possibly without attracting awkward attention, Dorothy observed the unconscious Deathscythe pilot for several minutes, then glanced over at Heero. 

"Just what happened back there?" 

Heero eyed her coldly, then said, "When I caught up with him, I asked him why he shot Relena." 

"Asked?" Dorothy said skeptically, lifting one of her exotic eyebrows. 

The Wing pilot glared at her and said, "All right, I demanded answers. Duo gave me some." 

"And...?" 

"It's none of your business." 

"Wrong. Duo beat me up, cracked my ribs, then nearly bashed my head in with a rock. I think I have a right to know why." She conveniently neglected mention that Duo had simply been returning the favor with the rock. 

Aware that Noin was also listening to the conversation, Heero reluctantly said, "He was jealous of Relena." 

"Jealous." Dorothy Catalonia disliked wasting time or effort, but she could be infinitely patient if it suited her own purposes. And right now, she wanted to know exactly what was going on between Duo, Heero, and Relena. 

Dorothy smiled slightly and drawled, "And why should he be jealous of Relena? And did he have any reason to be jealous?" 

All she got was a stony stare. 

Suddenly, she raised her other eyebrow. "You... and Duo?" 

Another hostile silence. 

"Well...," but before she could pursue her questioning further, Duo started to stir restlessly. 

"Duo?" Heero said in a sharp voice. 

The Wing pilot waited tensely as the other boy's eyelids fluttered, then slowly opened. There was a sick, sinking feeling in his stomach at the total lack of awareness or recognition in the tortured violet stare. 

"Duo! Duo! Damn it! Snap out of it!" Heero demanded, his voice tight with frustration and worry. 

Behind the dark-haired teenager, Dorothy made a soft, hissing gasp when she saw for herself the unmistakable traces of agony in Duo's vacant expression. 

The Deathscythe pilot tossed his head wildly for a moment, then abruptly began to shake and tremble as if from some immense internal stress. His mouth moved slightly as if trying to speak, but Heero could make out no words. 

The Wing pilot cursed, then reached out to apply pressure to Duo's carotid artery. The seconds seemed to last an eternity before the glazed amethyst eyes closed and the quivering body went limp and still. 

"What the hell caused THAT?" a shaken Dorothy demanded, whipping her head around to stare at Heero. 

He turned on her and snarled, "I DON'T KNOW." Raking his hand through his unruly hair, the Wing pilot added in a rush, "I turned my back on him for two minutes, tops. When I turned around, he was curled on the ground shaking and with that damn... look on his face! I didn't touch him. All right, I was angry and I let him know it, but that was all I did!" 

Dorothy retorted, "Don't yell at me. I'm not accusing you. I just wanted to know if you had any idea what could have triggered such a severe pain attack." 

Heero started to shake his head, then went very quiet. There was really only one possibility that he could think of... and it would also do a lot to explain Duo's irrational attack on Relena. He gritted his teeth, then said in a dangerously even voice, "I do know of something that can cause that sort of reaction." 

Noin flicked a quick glance at him via the mirror and said, "What is it?" 

"Brainwashing. Or some other type of mind control." 

"Ah ha...," Dorothy said in a significant tone. 

"Brainwashing!?" The minivan swerved for an instant as Noin turned to give Heero a startled look. 

"Duo could have been brainwashed into trying to kill Relena," he explained in a flat voice. As he stared down at the unconscious Deathscythe pilot, Heero continued in a monotone as if reciting an old and familiar lesson. "Pain is a common way of controlling a subject and his behavior. It can be used as incentive, deterrence, or both." 

 "Heero...." As Noin turned her attention back to the road, she couldn't help wondering, (How can you talk about this so calmly, Heero? And why do you know so much about it?) 

Dorothy said thoughtfully, "So you're saying that Duo's suffering could have been triggered by an attempt to resist the brainwashing." She bit her lip, then added, "That makes sense. After he knocked me down, he certainly acted like he wanted to pull Relena to safety. Then I remember him moaning something like, 'Somebody stop me,' just before the two of you appeared." 

Heero clenched his fists and said angrily, "Duo could have been trying to warn me all along, but I wouldn't listen to him. And by the time I was ready to listen to him, it was too late and he couldn't warn me. I should have figured it out long ago. Duo wouldn't do something this crazy, not of his own free will." 

(But I was too busy feeling betrayed and angry to think clearly. And now Duo's suffering and I don't know how to help him....) 

"But doesn't this sort of thing take time? And Duo doesn't strike me as someone who would surrender easily," Dorothy said calmly. 

"I know." Pulling out his phone, he said, "Wufei?" 

"Heero?" 

"You spent the last few days with Duo, correct?" 

"Yes," Wufei replied with a weary sigh. 

"Who else was with you?" 

"Howard. Six other technicians. Why do you ask?" 

"Was Duo there all the time?" 

"Yes. Except for a short grocery trip, he never left the house, as far as I know. And I went with him on that errand. Then again, this is Duo we're talking about, so I suppose he could have sneaked away during the nights. I don't think that's very likely, though. What's going on, Heero?" Wufei inquired in a slightly testy voice. 

"I'll explain later. Was he acting normally?" 

"If you're asking whether Duo was acting like his usual hyperactive, noisy, mischievous, and annoying self, then the answer is yes, he was acting quite normally." 

"Are you sure?" Heero persisted. 

In acid tones, the other pilot retorted, "At the moment, I am busily scrubbing off the green cows and other unmentionable graffiti that Duo scribbled all over Nataku yesterday. And tell that idiot that he's going to pay dearly for that desecration the next time I see him!" 

Suddenly Wufei's voice sharpened. "Heero, has something happened to Duo?" 

The Wing pilot took a deep breath and said simply, "Duo just tried to kill Relena." 

"WHAT!?" 

"He shot Relena, then tried to throw her off a cliff." As the Chinese pilot continued to sputter in disbelief, Heero said, "Listen, I have reason to believe that someone's been tampering with Duo's mind. I've got no idea when it might have happened. It could have been in the last few days, or it could have been weeks or even months ago." 

Wufei said thoughtfully, "He's handled some minor missions by himself recently. I suppose it's possible that he was captured...." 

"I know, but the time frame's wrong. None of those missions lasted more than a half a day. And what's going on with Duo certainly doesn't have the feel of a quick and dirty job." 

The Chinese teenager exhaled slowly over the phone. "What does Duo say about all this? Has he given you any explanations for his actions? Any hints?" 

"He's in no condition to talk." 

"What happened?" 

"He's... he's completely out of it right now. Essentially catatonic with pain. I'm taking him to Sally Po." 

"I... see. What do you want me to do?" 

Heero frowned, then said, "I think I need you down here." 

After receiving directions to the clinic, Wufei said, "What about Quatre and Trowa?" 

"Wait until they're through with their current mission. They don't need to be distracted if they're busy." 

"All right. I'll be there in a few hours." 

**************** 

Wufei hung up and quickly headed for his room. The situation showed every sign of becoming very ugly, indeed. But at least he wouldn't have time to fret about his troubling relationship with Treize Khushrenada. 

(Troubling!? I'm sleeping with one of our most dangerous enemies. Moreover, now I think I'm falling in love with him!) 

**************** 

Sally Po had just finished parking her car when the minivan pulled up beside her. She quickly slid open the van's door so she could get a better look at her patients. Relena was unconscious, but her vital signs were stable for the moment. Dorothy appeared to be in a good deal of pain, but she too was in no immediate danger. But Duo was a much more troubling case. As she checked his pulse and frowned at his unresponsiveness, she asked, "Anything happen on your way up here?" 

"Duo woke up," Heero said tersely. 

"And?" 

"I put him down again." 

"Why?" the doctor inquired curiously. 

"He was in pain," came the flat reply. 

Sally frowned. "Was it that bad?" 

Dorothy spoke up as she gingerly stepped out of the vehicle. 

"Yes, it was definitely that bad, doctor." 

Heero said curtly, "What about your friend?" 

Sally shook her head and said, "Charlotte's away on a family emergency somewhere around L4. However, she gave me carte blanche with the clinic. There are no patients and just a part-time maintenance staff." 

"Good." 

"Unfortunately, there's no way she can leave her parents right now, but she said to call her if there's an urgent problem." 

Heero nodded grimly and carried Duo into the clinic. As he carefully placed the Deathscythe pilot on an examination table, Sally said, "I can give him something for the pain." 

Heero said evenly, "I hope it works." 

"Why shouldn't it?" the older woman asked curiously, as she directed Noin to take Relena to another table. 

After Heero explained his brainwashing theory, Sally said slowly, "Now I understand. If the pain doesn't have a physical cause.... Well, we can try the drugs and hope for the best." 

Unfortunately, even the most powerful painkillers that Sally dared to use failed to alleviate Duo's condition in the slightest. 

Shaking her head in dismay, Sally said, "I've already given him twice the maximum dosage and as far as I can tell, it hasn't done a damn thing." She looked at Heero. "I can't push it any further. It could kill him." 

The Wing pilot stared down at the obviously suffering Duo and said quietly, "I understand." 

**************** 

Wufei arrived just as Sally was finishing with Dorothy's injuries. 

"How's Duo and Relena?" he said as soon as he entered the clinic. 

As she firmly wrapped Dorothy's sprained wrist, Sally said, "Relena's going to be fine. The first bullet only nicked the femur in her left leg. The right leg only has a flesh wound. Even the blood loss wasn't that bad. She'll recover with lots of rest." 

"Was it accidental or deliberate?" 

"Definitely deliberate," Dorothy said. "But I think he just as deliberately missed anything vital when he shot her. I'm sure Duo's an expert shot. No, he wanted Relena to experience all the terror of falling to her death." 

Sitting nearby, Noin said with a frown, "But that sort of calculated cruelty and malice seems so unlike Duo." 

"It is," Wufei said quietly. "He may act like a fool, but he's not cruel. Not even under severe provocation." 

(Duo doesn't toy with his victims. He kills them, as quickly and as efficiently as possible.) 

Wufei glanced at the doctor and said, "Where is he?" 

"Down the hall, second door to the left." 

**************** 

Heero glanced briefly at Wufei as the Chinese pilot pushed open the door, then turned his gaze back to Duo, who writhed slowly on the bed, his pain-glazed eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. 

"Why haven't you given him anything for the pain?" Wufei said sharply. 

Exhaling harshly, Heero replied, "Sally gave him as much as she dared. It didn't work." 

Sally stepped into the room, followed by Dorothy and Noin. She glanced at Heero and asked, "Any changes in his condition?" 

The Wing pilot simply shook his head. Duo was trapped in his own hellish world and nothing Heero said or did seemed to reach him. 

Heero ignored the soft conversation between Sally, Dorothy, and Wufei going on behind him as the Shenlong pilot asked the doctor for more details. Instead, he concentrated all his attention on Duo. Despite his obvious torment, the Deathscythe pilot remain totally and utterly silent, except for the sound of his shallow, hoarse breathing. Not a single moan, whimper, or even a gasp.... 

(But he's definitely saying something... or trying to,) the Wing pilot fretted as he watched Duo's lips faintly move to form a blurred, but steady stream of soundless words. 

__Help me, Heero.... 

(He keeps repeating that over and over again....) Heero clenched his fists in frustration as he read Duo's lips. (I want to help you, Duo, but I don't know HOW! You've got to give me some clue!) 

__It hurts so much, Heero.... 

(I know you're hurting, Duo.) 

__Please make it stop.... 

(How!? Just tell me, Duo! How can I make the pain stop!? I can't stand to see you suffering like this!) Heero silently demanded in return as he watched the other pilot feebly toss his head. 

__I know what I did wrong.... 

(Wrong? What does you mean?) 

__I know I hurt you.... __....betrayed your trust.... __....made you angry.... 

(That's not important now!) Heero thought impatiently. 

__I deserve to be punished.... 

(You... deserve? What could you possibly have done to deserve so much pain!? And who's punishing you!? Tell me!)  __....by you.... 

Heero's eyes widened abruptly in utter shock. Beside him, Wufei made a strangled sound as he caught the last few fragments of Duo's silently mouthed words. 

"Heero, what is he... what did you...!?" the Chinese pilot demanded in a stunned voice. 

(....me? ME!?) 

__Give me another chance... to please you.... __....to make you happy.... __I'll be good... I promise... I swear.... 

Aloud, the Wing pilot stumbled forward and hoarsely choked out, "Duo...?" But the braided teenager remained unaware of his presence and the silent plea continued. 

__I love you so much, Heero.... __I'll do anything you want.... __But please... please forgive me.... 

As his knees finally gave way, the dark-haired pilot collapsed to the floor beside Duo's bed and could only stare in sick horror as Duo continued to shudder and quiver in intolerable agony. 

"It's... it's MY fault? I did... this?" 

**************** 

Unable to read lips, Dorothy, Noin, and Sally had no idea what Duo was trying to say. However, they could see the obvious effects of his silent words as they watched Heero sag to his knees with a disbelieving, guilt-stricken expression on his face. Wufei, while still on his feet, looked almost as bad. 

"What happened? What's wrong?" Sally demanded worriedly. 

The Chinese pilot ignored the women's questions and hauled Heero off the floor by his shirt, then demanded furiously, "What is he talking about, Heero!? Why does he think that you're the one making him suffer like this!?" 

Grabbing a hold of Wufei for support, Heero blurted, "I didn't DO anything to him! I didn't hit or even touch him! I just...." He abruptly stopped. 

(No, but I yelled at him. I told him to shut up.... told him that I didn't want to hear another word or sound out of him. And then I....) 

"You just WHAT!?" Wufei roared. 

Heero responded dully, "I told him... that I didn't think I could forgive him for what he did...." 

(And that was just the beginning...,) the Wing pilot thought, cringing as he recalled all the furious accusations that he had flung at Duo in the moments that followed. 

Wufei's dark eyes went wide and his grip slacked, but even as he struggled to find something to say, Heero suddenly shoved the Chinese pilot aside and stared down at Duo. 

(Oh god. No wonder he hasn't responded to anything I've said. With all my shaking and yelling, he probably thought I was still angry with him... that I still wanted him to....) 

He sank down carefully onto the bed, then gently lifted Duo's trembling body by the shoulders. Heero took a few hard, deep breaths to calm himself. He had to sound calm if he was to have any chance of reaching Duo. 

In the gentlest, yet firmest voice he could manage, he said, "Duo? Duo? Listen to me. I forgive you. Do you understand me? I FORGIVE YOU." Ignoring the others as they waited breathlessly to see if his gamble would work, Heero gently stroked Duo's pale cheek. 

He whispered, "I want your pain to stop. Please stop hurting, Duo. Come back to me." 

After an endless moment, Heero felt Duo's tense body abruptly relax. Almost as if a switch had been thrown, the blank violet eyes now held awareness and a disturbingly intense look of gratitude. Gazing into Duo's face, Heero felt a sudden surge of vertigo as disjointed memories of another pair of mad, pleading violet eyes staring at him flashed through his mind. 

Heero shook his head suddenly, then heaved a great sigh of relief. Coaxingly, he said, "Please talk to me. Say something. Anything." 

Duo bit his lip, plucked nervously at the rumpled bedsheets, then in a shaky whisper said, "H-Heero... you're... you're not... mad at me anymore?" 

The dumbfounded Wing pilot stared wordlessly at him, but when he saw the fear and misery return to Duo's face, Heero quickly said, "No. Of course not. I'm not mad at you, Duo. I don't blame you for what happened." 

"I'm... I'm sorry, Heero." Duo's voice shook with a terrible desire to both please and appease. "I didn't mean to.... I'll do anything... just... just please don't hate me!" His voice trailed off to a soft wail. 

Heero couldn't stand Duo's incoherent pleas any longer. Without another word, he pulled Duo hard into his arms and held the shaking body of his lover in a tight embrace. As he gently stroked the tangled chestnut hair with one hand he murmured, "I don't hate you, Duo. I could never hate you." He continued to repeat those words over and over again as the other pilot gingerly curled up against him with a profound sigh of relief. 

Glancing up, Heero encountered four intense stares which contained a complicated mixture of shock, disbelief, curiosity, and suspicion. 

Wufei opened his mouth to demand answers, but Noin got there first. Unfortunately, she didn't make the most tactful choice of words. 

"What the hell did you DO to him, Heero!?" 

Duo stiffened, then to everyone's surprise, he twisted around in Heero's grasp and pinned Noin with a hard, vicious stare. 

"IT'S *NOT* HEERO'S FAULT," snarled the Deathscythe pilot in coldly ferocious tones. 

The dark-haired woman recoiled from Duo's decidedly lethal glare and stammered, "I... I didn't mean to sound like I was blaming him!" 

"Then just what DID you mean?" Duo hissed in a highly dangerous tone. 

"Duo!" the Wing pilot barked out sharply, without thinking. 

The braided teenager responded instantly to Heero's reprimand, flinching visibly and giving the Wing pilot an almost pathetically anxious look. 

"I think I'm going to be sick," Dorothy said evenly. Her voice was devoid of her usual sarcasm or any malice. Rather, she was simply and objectively stating how she felt. It was probably a fairly accurate statement of how they all felt, including Heero. 

As Dorothy turned and walked out of the room, Noin awkwardly murmured something about checking on Relena, and followed her out. 

**************** 

(Oh shit oh shit, I've made him mad at me again...,) Duo thought frantically. He swore furiously at himself, (You damn fuckup! No wonder he's so fed up with you and your stupid mistakes! Can't you do anything right!?) 

He shuddered inwardly as an overpowering sense of shame bubbled up inside him. Only the presence of the others kept him from flinging himself at Heero and begging for forgiveness. Heero would so hate the embarrassment.... 

Duo was very much aware that the overwhelming waves of emotions and feelings that constantly swept through his mind were not normal. However, he wouldn't allow himself to think of them as being *wrong*. He had to believe that his feelings for Heero were right. They HAD to be right. The consequences of thinking otherwise.... 

No matter how abnormal they might be, he couldn't deny his own feelings. They totally controlled him. Duo Maxwell was just a puppet, with emotions as strings, and Heero as his puppeteer. 

And instead of loathing that idea, the concept of Heero manipulating every part of him -- controlling him utterly in thought, sensation, emotion, and deed -- left Duo helplessly and agonizingly aroused. 

That staggering rush of desire, combined with his overpowering awareness of Heero's proximity -- the feel of Heero's hands touching his aching flesh, the warmth of Heero's body, the sound of his heartbeat, and the smell of Heero's unique scent -- left Duo utterly incapable of speech or thought. His world shrank to encompass only three simple things. 

Desire. Need. Heero. 

**************** 

Without warning, Duo suddenly folded up and started panting wildly as his hands clawed at the bedding. 

"Duo!?" Heero shouted as he searched frantically for any clue or reason for the sudden change in Duo's behavior. 

The mere sound of the Wing pilot's voice sent another unbearable jolt of lust through Duo's body. He uttered a harsh sob, hopelessly torn between the cravings that were driving him mad and the painful knowledge that he was upsetting Heero even further. 

He had to get a hold of himself. He had to reassure Heero he was fine. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't do it. The hunger inside him was merciless. Like a rabid, starving beast, Duo's need for Heero refused to be caged or restrained any longer. 

Both Wufei and Sally instantly moved in to help Heero restrain Duo, but as soon as they touched him, the Deathscythe pilot flung them away and staggered to his feet. He glared at them with maddened violet eyes and screamed, "DON'T TOUCH ME!!!" 

Wufei shouted furiously, "We're only trying to help you, damn it!" 

"I DON'T NEED YOUR FUCKING HELP! YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING! ONLY HEERO CAN!" He squeezed his legs together and hunched over, clutching at his middle, as he felt another punishing throb of desire. 

The Wing pilot jumped off the bed, grabbed hold of Duo's shoulders, and spun him around. 

"Duo, I'll help you, but you've got to tell me WHAT do you want me to do!" 

The braided teenager stiffened and his eyes went glassy as Heero's last few words worked their familiar dark magic, intensifying his cravings even more. 

(No more no more I can't take this stop it stop it...!) 

Unable to speak even a single word, all Duo could do was cling to Heero and hope that the other would understand what he needed. 

(Please Heero I need you inside me I need to fucked so badly please Heero!) 

Cobalt eyes widened as the Wing pilot abruptly remembered the last time he had spoken those particular words to Duo. He also remembered the sexual hunger that had so suddenly overwhelmed the braided pilot and how Duo had begged him to.... 

(Am I responsible for this, also? God, what have I DONE to him!?) 

He turned to the others and snapped, "Leave us alone! Right now!" 

However, Sally and Wufei refused to budge. Wufei said coldly, "Heero, I'm going to need a bloody good explanation before I leave you alone with Duo!" 

The Wing pilot gritted his teeth and growled, "I don't have time to explain all this...." 

Sally said sharply, "Then gives us the short version, Heero." 

He glared at them and yelled in a mixture of acute embarrassment and worry, "Duo needs me, all right!?" 

"That explains absolutely nothing!" the Chinese pilot retorted. 

Duo hadn't been able to find the words for himself, but somehow he managed to find them for Heero's sake. In a hoarse voice, he turned on them and snarled, "I NEED HEERO TO FUCK ME! Got it!? I need to be FUCKED! Now what don't you understand about THAT!?" 

"Duo...," Sally exclaimed in a shocked voice. 

"HE TOLD YOU TO GET OUT!" the Deathscythe pilot screamed at them, now shaking uncontrollably from both lust and rage. "SO GET OUT!!!" He took a threatening step toward the doctor and Wufei. 

Heero had learned from his earlier mistake. Instead of yelling at Duo to stop, he simply wrapped his arms against the braided teenager and held him close, using gentle touches and soft words to calm him down. The technique was brutally effective. One moment, Duo was ready to leap at Sally's and Wufei's throats. The next moment, he melted into a complacent heap in Heero's arms. 

Sally glanced at the Wing pilot and saw the intense worry and the heartwrenching anguish in his dark blue eyes. Taking a deep breath, the doctor gave the Wing pilot a sharp nod of acknowledgement, then dragged the reluctant Wufei out of the room. The door slammed shut behind them, leaving Heero alone with Duo, who was now mewing softly in the grip of mindless passion.


	6. Part 5 (rough draft)

Now that he was alone with Duo, Heero swiftly pulled the other pilot's clothes off and laid him down onto the narrow bed. After roughly yanking off his own clothing, the Wing pilot stared at the panting and shaking Duo, highly disturbed and more than a little nauseated by what he saw. Instead of the frustration, anger, defiance, or even hatred that should have been burning in those hazy amethyst eyes, all he could see was desire, passion, adoration... and a terrifyingly intense love. 

Heero closed his eyes as he fought down the urge to vomit. 

(How did this happen, Duo? What the hell happened to make you this way? Why did you pick me, of all people? I never asked to be someone's lord and master! Especially not yours! Not... yours....) 

A part of him wanted to shove Duo away, to distance himself from this source of emotional turmoil, such as he had been trained to do. The only thing that stopped him from grabbing his clothes and bolting out of the room was the pain and misery seeping into Duo's eyes as he sensed Heero's imminent rejection. 

**************** 

As Heero looked away, Duo felt the familiar punishing storm of shame, guilt, and misery erupt in his head. But he deserved it. He knew he had upset Heero again, so it was only fair that he should suffer, too. How could he think of feeling good if Heero felt unhappy? Besides, it was just another sign of his unworthiness, an inescapable reminder that he had to constantly try to be better for Heero's sake. 

Even as his body ached and throbbed for the Wing pilot's touch, Duo whispered huskily, "I... I understand. I won't... embarrass you in... front of the others again. I can control... myself. I... WILL control myself...!" 

Heero gave him a stunned look of dismay. Grabbing hold of Duo's face, the dark-haired pilot said tightly, "The LAST thing I'm thinking about is embarrassment! I'm worried about what's happening to YOU!" 

The Wing pilot gave Duo a hard look, then said roughly, "You're hurting, aren't you?" 

Duo managed a weak shrug. "You don't... owe me... anything, Heero," he choked out, shuddering as the hunger continued to nibble at his mind. 

(I'll accept anything you're willing to give me... anything....) 

"Damn it, Duo. I want the truth. The whole truth. Please." 

Since Heero asked, Duo could only answer as honestly and as completely as he could. Panting from the need inside him, the braided pilot said hoarsely, "God, I... I feel so EMPTY... so lonely! My body constantly aches... for you. Everything about you... your touch, your voice... even just seeing you... keeps reminding me how... how much I want you!" He bit his lip, hard enough to draw a tiny trace of blood. 

"Duo... I'll... try to make you feel better," Heero awkwardly replied. But he caught something in Duo's eyes. "What is it? The sex... it WILL help, won't it?" 

"Yes...." came Duo's thin reply. 

"But?" 

The Deathscythe pilot shook his head. He didn't want to upset Heero any further. 

"Duo, answer me. Don't try to spare me. I have to know." 

"It... the need... it goes... but it always comes BACK. Always... no matter what I do... what anybody does...," Duo moaned, sobbing in frustration. 

Heero sat down abruptly. Of course the hunger would come back. Who would throw away such a powerful method of control after only one use? He reached out to brush the sweat dampened hair from Duo's taut face. 

"How do you know this? Do you remember what happened to you? Can you recall what made you feel... this way?" 

(Who did this to you, Duo? I want to know.) 

The braided pilot shuddered and made a few choking noises. The conflict was terrible to see. Duo obviously wanted to answer Heero, but couldn't. 

**************** 

He simply couldn't tell Heero about that white, silent hell.... It was beyond words... beyond description. A void that had swallowed him whole once before and could so easily do so again if Heero chose to cast him aside. 

Hell wasn't the traditional fire and brimstone. Hell was... nothing... no sight, no sound, no taste, no smell... no feeling... only a terrible awareness of emptiness... loneliness. 

**************** 

Heero watched Duo's futile struggle until he couldn't stand it anymore. 

"Don't force it, Duo. That's not important." 

"S-S-Sorry... sorry...," the Deathscythe pilot moaned hopelessly. 

Heero gently rested his head against his lover's forehead, his thoughts churning wildly. 

(I can't just run away from this. I can't pretend that I'm not involved. And Duo... what will happen to Duo if I push him away?) 

He turned and found his answer in the resigned acceptance and barely concealed terror in Duo's eyes. 

(He expects me to just walk away and leave him like this. He thinks he deserves to suffer for somehow disappointing me....) 

Heero gathered Duo in his arms and answered his unspoken plea. 

"No. I won't leave you," the Wing pilot murmured softly as he brushed the sweat-dampened bangs away from his lover's face and tenderly kissed him. 

As Heero drew his fingers along the cleft of Duo's ass and wondered how he could enter Duo without hurting him, the Wing pilot was startled to discover a slight moisture. 

(What the...!?) 

Gingerly exploring, Heero carefully slipped a finger into Duo's rear passage only to find it already slick and wet, as if fully lubricated and just waiting for his member. As he explored a bit deeper, Duo moaned softly and arched his back as he felt Heero's fingers stroking him from within. 

He didn't understand where the wetness came from, but at least he didn't have to worry about injuring Duo even more. Heero lifted Duo's hips and pushed himself deep inside, then held him close as Duo's body writhed and trembled uncontrollably from the sheer joy of having Heero's cock inside him. 

"H-Heero... oh yes!" the braided pilot groaned, wrapping his legs around Heero's waist. 

As he waited for Duo to become used to his presence, Heero delicately caressed Duo's penis and balls. The Wing pilot gradually developed a steady rhythm, alternating strokes of his hand with firm, deep thrusts that wrung soft little cries from Duo's throat. 

**************** 

In the meantime, inside the doctors' lounge of the clinic, Wufei glared at Sally Po. 

"Why did you leave Duo alone with Heero?" he demanded furiously. 

The older woman calmly replied, "Because Heero is apparently the only person capable of alleviating Duo's obvious suffering. You saw it for yourself." 

"But... sex!? With Heero!?" the Shenlong pilot continued to sputter. 

"The only other option I can think of is to restrain Duo. However, that still leaves the problem of his uncontrolled sexual craving. This isn't a simple matter of an overactive libido, Wufei. Whatever's affecting Duo was orders of magnitude worse. It could be life-threatening if not relieved." 

"There are drugs that reduce sexual desire," Wufei said curtly. 

The doctor sighed, "I know there are. However, if the painkillers didn't work on Duo earlier. Whatever's affecting him doesn't seem to be susceptible to treatment with drugs." She raised her hand to stop Wufei from speaking. "And yes, I know there are certain psychoactive drugs that might work. However, they're extremely dangerous and I simply don't have the type of specialized knowledge to administer those types of drugs safely." 

"Hmph." 

"The way I see it, all we can really do is allow Heero to handle Duo's cravings. If it works, we'll go from there. If it doesn't work... well, we'll just have to see." 

"And if you're wrong and something serious happens to either Duo or Heero?" 

"Then I'll be sick for a very long time." 

Wufei sank down into a chair. Staring into his coffee mug, he muttered, "What I want is an explanation for Duo's behavior. Why is he so fixated on Heero?" 

Sally tipped her head slightly and said, "I got the impression that Heero and Duo are quite friendly." 

"Sometimes I don't know why Heero puts up with Duo's antics, but... yes, I'd say that the two of them are good friends." 

"Are they lovers?" Dorothy casually asked as she and Noin walked into the lounge. 

"Before this, I don't know. But Heero didn't seem THAT shocked or repulsed by the mere idea of having sex with Duo," Wufei replied absently, lost in his own thoughts. 

The blond girl found it particularly interesting that Wufei didn't seem that upset with the idea of homosexual sex. In fact, he appeared to be taking that issue a bit too much in stride. She would have expected a much more obvious and noisy reaction from the rather uptight Shenlong pilot. She filed away this intriguing little tidbit of information for later investigation. 

Drumming his fingers on the table, he glared at the clock and growled, "What the hell are they doing?" 

Dorothy smiled and said, "What do you expect them to be doing?" She ignored his angry glare, then shrugged. "Well, I'm sure someone as clever as yourself could probably figure out a way of using the clinic's intercom system to eavesdrop on them." 

"Have you no scruples, woman!?" 

"If you're too 'honorable' to snoop, then don't complain if you don't know what's going on," the Catalonia said with a mocking lift of an eyebrow. 

**************** 

Heero felt a rush of relief as he watched the terrible tension within Duo ease, but now he had new worries. 

(It helps, but for how long? When does this vicious cycle start all over again? But what can I do? I can't have sex with him around the clock!) 

{Why not?} a cold, inner voice said. {You can make him feel anything you want him to feel.} 

In his current condition, Duo was a loose cannon, a danger to himself, everyone around him, and the mission. The emotionless, analytical part of the Wing pilot's mind -- the part of himself that had been ruthlessly trained to exploit every possible weakness and opportunity -- had long since sorted through the limited options. 

(1) Terminate Duo. Unacceptable. A waste of an useful resource. (2) Cure Duo. Also unacceptable. The effort and time required were prohibitive. Furthermore, the chances of success were dubious at best and the attempt could easily worsen the problem instead of fix it. (3) Control Duo. Optimum solution. All the evidence indicated that he was eager and willing to follow Heero's every order. Secondary evidence further indicated that Duo would be able to function at near normal levels once command and control of the subject was established. 

Heero shuddered in revulsion as he realized that the inner voice was right. The solution was quite simple. It was so simple, it was almost obscene. Implementation of that solution merely required a total lack of morals, mercy, and humanity. 

All Heero had to do was tell Duo a lie and make him believe it. 

No problem at all. 

(I can't... I WON'T... do this to Duo! I won't betray his trust like this!) 

The cold inner voice returned. {He's suffering and you're the only one who can stop that suffering. All it takes is a few firm words.} 

(But those words....) 

{Do it.} 

(I WON'T!!!) 

{Then I will....} 

**************** 

Without any warning, Heero's blue eyes went empty and cold. He grabbed hold of Duo's hair, yanked his head closer, and said in a chillingly flat voice. 

"DUO." 

"Y-y-yes?" Duo blinked in hazy confusion. 

"You said that you would do anything for me, correct?" Heero punctuated the statement with a sharp thrust of his hips. 

Duo gasped and choked out, "Y-Yes...." 

"If you obey me, you will feel better. Understand me?" Again, Heero plunged himself into Duo's moist heat. 

"....obey... want to feel... better...." 

The pattern continued. Heero ruthlessly accentuated every statement or demand with a thrust of his cock. Battered by pleasure, driven by love and desire, Duo could only helplessly agree to whatever the Wing pilot said. 

"You want me. You need me." 

"....yessss...." 

"You want me to fuck you constantly." 

"....need to be fucked... always...." 

"You love it when I fuck you," Heero said harshly. 

"....yes... love it...," Duo moaned. 

"When I fuck you, you feel better." 

"....better... much better...." A vacant little smile crossed the braided teenager's face. 

"When you feel my cock inside you, you feel good." 

"....yesss... so good...." Duo rocked his hips, his head lolling loosely. 

"When you feel me inside you, you don't feel lonely." 

"....not... lonely...." 

"I want you to remember how I feel inside you. You can't forget it." 

"....forget... never...." 

"Listen to me carefully. You will feel that way from now on." 

Duo twitched spastically, his glazed eyes widening. 

"H-Heero...?" 

"You will feel me inside you all the time, even if I'm not with you." 

"....ahhhh!... feel you... always...," Duo gasped as the innermost core of his body pulsed and throbbed in response to Heero's commands. 

"As long as you obey me, you will feel this way." 

"....obey... yes...." 

"As long as you feel this way, you are safe and secure." 

"....safe...." 

"Nothing else and no one else can reach or hurt you. Only me. Do you understand?" 

"....yessss...," Duo purred contentedly. 

"This way, I'll always be with you, Duo, no matter where I go." 

"....always with me...." 

"You'll never be lonely again." 

"....not lonely...." 

"You're MINE." 

"....yours... all yours...." 

"And that makes you feel good." 

"....yessss... so good...." Duo writhed slowly, drowning in pure sensation. 

"Stand up, Duo." 

"....yes...." 

 As Duo obediently rose from the bed, Heero's cock slipped from his body, but the entranced pilot appeared completely oblivious to its absence. He simply stood in front of the Wing pilot, the vacant little smile on his heart-shaped face never wavering. 

"Can you feel me inside you now?" Heero demanded. 

Duo's body quivered in pure joy as he moaned, "....oh yes... yes... perfect...." 

Following Heero's directions, he slowly walked around the room, his partially unravelled braid sweeping back and forth across his naked body. Even though he was perfectly aware that Heero was sitting at the other end of the room, Duo could FEEL the steady inescapable sensation of Heero's member within him. And with every step, the exquisite fullness inside him shifted and moved, as if Heero was gently, but firmly stroking and probing the most intimate recesses of his body. 

The braided teenager couldn't help smiling. With every move he made, it felt as if he was being relentlessly fucked by Heero. Duo found the sensation of being completely mastered by Heero's will to be both intensely arousing and strangely comforting. Just as the Wing pilot had promised, the feel of Heero inside him somehow blunted the savage edge of his cravings. He could still sense the hunger and loneliness hovering on the edges of his mind, but only distantly, kept at bay by the reassuring sensations of contentment and security enveloping him. 

To belong to Heero... to be so totally OWNED.... This was better than any slave collar, any outward marking or brand. 

Heero was so good to him. 

**************** 

The stony-eyed Wing pilot did not order Duo to walk and prance around the room for his own enjoyment. Instead, he wanted Duo to be fully aware of the new sensations in his body. However, judging by the sheen of sensuous bliss and contentment in Duo's eyes, along with subtle changes of the braided teenager's expression, Heero knew that Duo had accepted his orders completely and fully. 

There was just one more thing left to do. He gestured sharply for Duo return to the bed. The braided teenager passively allowed himself to be roughly impaled once again on Heero's member and barely blinked as the virtual sensation of Heero's cock inside him was replaced by the real thing. However, his complacence quickly evaporated as Heero, with an air of almost clinical detachment, set about to deliberately and viciously arouse Duo to the edge of orgasm. By this point, the Wing pilot knew he could probably achieve the same results with verbal commands alone, but he choose to take the physical approach, using calculated twists and thrusts of his hips to tease and tantalize, giving Duo just enough pleasure to leave him desperately hungry for more. 

When he finally sensed that the Deathscythe pilot was on the brink, Heero abruptly said in that same cold, flat voice he had used before, "Do you want to come, Duo?" 

Duo nodded frantically. He desperately wanted to come. He wanted to feel the perfect mindshattering ecstasy that only Heero could give him... to feel those rapturous sensations rushing through him over and over again. 

"Listen to me, Duo. I OWN your orgasm, just like I own every other part of you. Understand?" 

"....yes.... yours... all yours...." the Deathscythe pilot moaned, thrashing his head back and forth. 

"It's mine. I am the only one who can give you release. Or I can withhold that release. MY decision. MY choice. Understand?" 

 "....yes...." He understood perfectly. He couldn't come. Not until Heero allowed him to. He gazed adoringly up at Heero with dark, desire-clouded eyes and panted softly, "Only with your... permission... yes.... Please... please can I come... now?" 

"No." 

The Wing pilot thrust hard and deep into Duo, even as he mercilessly stroked and manipulated the braided teenager's genitals. This would be the final test. 

Completely helpless to resist Heero's ruthless touch, Duo wailed softly, "Please! Please, Heero. Please let me come. I can't... unless you... want me... to.... Please tell me I can come.... I... I need it so badly!" 

"Not yet," said Heero, as he continued to watch Duo with those empty cobalt eyes. 

Now incapable of even breathing, Duo's glazed eyes started to roll in their sockets. Without any change of expression, Heero abruptly tightened his grip on the other teenager's testicles, causing Duo to shudder from the vicious jolt of pain. 

"I didn't give you permission to pass out." 

Duo nodded weakly. He understood what Heero meant. There would be no escape or relief of any kind, unless Heero allowed him to have it. 

The Wing pilot waited a moment longer to ensure that Duo fully understood this last lesson... understood who was truly his master. Finally, as Duo threatened to go into actual convulsions, he spoke. 

"Yes. Come now." 

With those coldly spoken words, Duo abruptly climaxed, arching his back as the waves of overwhelming pleasure completely took over,. 

**************** 

As Duo sank ever deeper into the throes of ecstatic rapture, his orgasm triggered yet another radical shift within his mind and body. DNA strands rewoven themselves. Cells changed configurations. New neural patterns formed, overwriting old ones. 

STAGE 1: Imprinting... completed. 

STAGE 2: Activation... initiated. 

**************** 

Even as Duo sank deeper into his protective cocoon of pleasure, Heero gradually returned to his own senses. 

(Oh god, what have I just DONE!!!) 

Speechless, numb, sickened beyond bearing, all he could do is stare blankly at Duo, who now lay on the bed panting softly with his long chestnut hair flowing over the rough white cotton sheets. Even in the midst of his self-loathing and guilt, Heero could not help but notice just how sexually alluring the Deathscythe pilot now appeared, with that seductive little smile curling his lips and the sheen of bliss in his half-opened violet eyes. 

Duo looked just like an addict who had received a desperately needed fix. 

Heero wanted to take the words back, undo it all. He wanted to tell Duo to just forget everything that he had ordered the Deathscythe pilot to feel or think. But then he hesitated, reluctant to deprive Duo of the few scraps of contentment and security his lover... no, his victim... had. How could he leave Duo once again to the merciless demands of his sexual and emotional cravings? 

However, Heero's hesitation proved to be his undoing as Duo languidly rose to his knees, held Heero's face in his hands, and kissed him long and lovingly. Stunned, confused, the Wing pilot froze as Duo's tongue slipped between his lips. The brown-haired teenager's hands wandered downward, caressing the firm muscles along Heero's back and stomach, before sliding even lower. By the time the Wing pilot realized what was happening, it was too late. 

**************** 

Duo's mind and body became wholly focused on his sudden, overpowering need to pleasure Heero. Heero had given him the incredible gift of joy and release. Now it was his turn to return the favor. Duo had no idea where all the sexual skill and knowledge came from, but he didn't care. All that mattered is that they enabled him to satisfy his master's desires, no matter how Heero chose to use him. 

 If Duo had detected the slightest discomfort or reluctance, he would have instantly desisted in his activities. Deeply attuned to his master's state of mind, Duo knew that Heero was tremendously upset. But he also sensed that the Wing pilot desperately wanted to lose himself in oblivion, if only for a short while -- to avoid having to think about the harsh realities and demands of the world for even a brief period of time. He would give Heero that relief. 

**************** 

Duo's every move was perfect, his timing flawless, and all intended for only one purpose -- to maximize Heero's sexual pleasure. Almost as if he could read Heero's mind, Duo somehow knew exactly what Heero enjoyed, but more importantly, what he didn't. The Deathscythe pilot was an intoxicating blend of aggression and submissiveness. The best trained courtesan or prostitute could not have done any better. Unprepared for such a skilled and responsive lover, Heero soon found himself overwhelmed and lost in a haze of ecstasy. 

(How... where did he learn to DO all this?) Heero wondered dazedly, his fingers clenching on long, silken chestnut strands as Duo's mouth closed lovingly on his cock. 

Just as Heero felt he was about to explode, Duo wrapped his legs around the dark-haired pilot and sheathed Heero's hard throbbing member within the welcoming slick heat of his own body. All the while, Duo kept his hands and mouth busy, caressing, sucking, or stroking any part of Heero he could reach. Feeling the growing tension in Heero's body, the Deathscythe rocked his hips slowly, sending ever increasing waves of pleasure through Heero's cock, but the braided teenager allowed Heero to set whatever pace pleased him. His own needs and desires were irrelevent. Only Heero's pleasure was important. 

As he watched Heero's cobalt eyes started to glaze over and felt the Wing pilot's thrusts became harder and faster, the only thing Duo could only think of was his all-consuming love for his lord and master. He desperately wanted to do something... anything... to show Heero just how much he loved and adored him. 

"Tell me. Tell me what you want...," Duo murmured softly into the Wing pilot's ear. 

As his own orgasm took hold and blotted out all coherent thought, Heero clung desperately to Duo and mumbled brokenly, "I want... I want you to be normal. I want the old Duo Maxwell back. I want... MY Duo back." 

Despite the softness of Heero's voice, Duo's acute hearing picked up every bit of that anguished whisper. 

If that's what Heero wanted, that's exactly what Heero would get. 

**************** 

Inside Duo, things shifted once again. Old thought patterns reemerged, providing concealment for the newly formed neural pathways and programming which in turn subsided deep into his subconscious. 

**************** 

[ an hour later ] 

As the door to the lounge burst open, an impatient Wufei turned and started to demand, "Heero...," but his voice stopped short as he abruptly realized that the Wing pilot was NOT standing in the doorway. 

Duo stared at his stunned audience and gave them his familiar, cheeky grin. 

"D... D... Du... Du...!?" 

"Duh duh duh?" The Deathscythe pilot cocked his head, propped his fists on his hips, and said in a somewhat worried voice, "Yo, Wufei, did you knock yourself in the head or what?" 

The Chinese teenager could only stare in astonishment as Duo sauntered over to the coffee-maker and poured himself a cup. Except for the slightly rumpled appearance of his clothes, he seemed perfectly normal. The Deathscythe pilot took a sip of the coffee and made a face. 

"Shit, this tastes terrible! How come the coffee in hospitals and doctors' offices always tastes so damn bad?" Duo complained, his violet eyes gleaming with their usual alertness and good humor. 

"Duo!?" exclaimed Sally, after she managed to get her jaw back into place. 

"You... you...," Noin sputtered. 

Duo froze, looked around at all the stupefied faces, lowered his coffee mug, and said with a slightly sheepish grin, "Um... what's up, guys?" 

"Are you... are you... all right?" 

The braided teenager glanced around the room uneasily and said, "Yeah. Shouldn't I be?" 

Wufei finally found his voice, looked around wildly as if searching for an explanation, then blurted out the first question he could think of." 

"Where's Heero!?" 

The Deathscythe pilot lifted an eyebrow, thought a moment, then he nonchalantly answered. 

"Oh, I killed him and hid his body," 

The room went dead silent. The only sound to be heard was the faint chirp of a songbird outside the window. 

Wufei and the women mutely stared at him. Duo stared back, then quickly jumped forward to grab Noin's coffee mug as it slowly slipped out of her numb fingers. Carefully placing it back on the table, Duo looked at everyone's aghast expressions, then slowly started to chuckle. 

"Oh, man! The LOOK on your faces!" Duo doubled over with hysterical laughter. Glancing up at them, he choked back another fit of giggles, waved his hand and said, "Good grief! Heero's fine! He's only asleep! He's really stressed out, you know," he added with a worried look. 

As Wufei looked like he was about to suffer a fit of apoplexy, Sally sat down very suddenly, as if her legs simply wouldn't support her any longer. Noin simply closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. 

(Well, he certainly looks and acts normal enough,) the Catalonia noted, observing Duo carefully. That bright, blue-violet eyes... the charming, slightly wicked smile... the slim, graceful body... the nimble, yet strong hands that could probably give a hell of a massage... the vibrant bedroom voice.... 

(Wha...!? What the hell am I thinking!?) a shocked Dorothy wondered as she realized that she was practically drooling over the Deathscythe pilot. She hastily glanced at Noin and Sally, but barely managed to keep herself from visibly gaping when she saw that the two older women were fully occupied... fully occupied with staring at Duo's braid and how it swung so tantalizing near his butt. 

(And what a sexy butt it is...,) the thought popped into Dorothy's head before the blond could pull her wits back together. 

Duo glanced over to the women and noticed their blank looks. He rolled his eyes and said, "Oh, for god's sake!" 

Sally twitched and shook her head sharply. Noin blinked a few times as her cheeks turned red. 

Apparently unaware of the real reason for all the strange looks he was receiving, Duo snorted loudly, turned, and stalked toward the door. "Sheesh! If you don't believe me, c'mon and see Heero for yourselves. But try not to wake him, huh?" 

"What... what on earth's happened to you, Duo?" asked Sally as she attempted to recover her composure. 

Dorothy couldn't help but wonder what the doctor was actually talking about -- Duo's sudden recovery or the equally sudden increase in his sex appeal. Maxwell had been attractive enough even before this whole mess started, but now.... 

(This could get REALLY complicated...,) the blond thought with a rare flash of nervousness. 

In response to the doctor's question, the braided teenager stopped in the doorway, then glanced over his shoulder at everyone. 

"Shinigami has returned from hell. What else?" Duo replied with a gleam in his violet eyes and a wicked little smile.


	7. Part 6 (rough draft)

As the Deathscythe pilot stepped into the corridor, Wufei shook off his paralysis. He lunged and grabbed Duo's shoulder. Spinning the other pilot around, Wufei pinned him against the wall. 

"Duo, what HAPPENED to you!?" 

Taken aback by the Chinese pilot's vehemence, Duo said, "Happened? What are you talking about....?" 

"What am I talking about!?" Wufei retorted incredulously. 

Catching up with them, Noin exclaimed, "You try to kill Relena and then you apparently had some sort of agonizing seizure! Don't you remember anything!?" 

Wufei felt a distinct twinge of guilt as Duo's blithe, cheerful mood vanished. At first, the Deathscythe pilot only looked confused. That expression quickly changed to disbelief, then horror. 

"Oh... shit...." Duo choked out, then suddenly grabbed Wufei's wrist. In a frantic voice, he blurted out, "Is she all right!?" 

Sally said hastily, "Relena's fine! She's hurt, but her injuries are just painful, not life-threatening." 

Running a hand distractedly through his bangs, Duo heaved a deep sigh of relief. 

"What happened? Why did you try to murder Relena!?" Wufei demanded. 

Still looking stunned, Duo said slowly, "I think.... It was the call from Heero...." 

"Yes? What did he say!?" the Chinese teenager demanded. 

"Just that he wanted me get Relena out of the way." 

"You mean that Heero WANTED you to kill...!" a shocked Noin blurted out. 

Duo hastily shook his head. "No no no! It's not Heero's fault! He just wanted me to make her disappear for a while. Just until the fake negotiations collapsed. I KNEW that's what he meant. Except...." 

"Except what?" Sally quickly asked. 

Duo blushed furiously. "Aw man, this sounds so damn crazy now...." 

"Please, Duo! We're not trying to judge or blame you. We simply need to know as much as possible about what happened," the doctor said in an earnest voice. 

"I...." The Deathscythe pilot heaved a sigh, "Heero and I.... I mean, after Heero went off on his own, I was feeling sort of... pissed off and lonely. So when I heard that he ran straight to Relena.... I don't know. Something just snapped, I guess. I got this crazy idea that she had to go and that was that." 

Dorothy said quietly, "Were you and Heero lovers? Is that why you were so jealous about Heero leaving you for Relena?" 

Leaning up against the wall, Duo muttered, "Oh hell. I guess that's one cat out of the bag," he muttered, eyeing Wufei anxiously. However, instead of pitching a fit like the Deathscythe pilot expected, the Shenlong pilot focused in on the main issue at hand. 

"So you tried to kill Relena Peacecraft because you thought she was stealing Heero or something like that?" 

Duo banged the back of his head against the wall a few times. "God, it sounds so bloody stupid now! But when it actually happened... I was SO miserable and angry... I just wasn't thinking straight!" 

**************** 

Heero stirred drowsily as the sound of voices filtered into his consciousness. Without opening his eyes, he reached out, expecting a warm body, but his fingers encountered only empty sheets. His mood of sleepy contentment abruptly evaporated as the agitated conversation became even louder. 

**************** 

"All right. Jealousy might explain what happened to Relena. But that does nothing to explain what happened afterward." the Chinese pilot said sharply. "What did Heero DO to you?" 

Feeling a sharp twinge of anger, Duo might have shrugged off Wufei's demands for answers, but the genuine concern and worry in those dark eyes made the Deathscythe pilot hold onto his temper. 

"He didn't do anything to me," Duo said with only slightly strained patience. 

"Didn't do ANYTHING!?" was Wufei's outraged retort. 

Noin hastily interrupted. "Duo, what happened after Heero and I pulled Relena to safety?" 

The braided teenager bit his lower lip and frowned. "I... I'm not sure. I... I couldn't believe I had done something so... so absolutely insanely stupid! And Heero was so mad... I just panicked and ran. Heero caught up with me and started yelling... and that's the last thing I remember!" 

"That's it?" Wufei said in highly skeptical tones. 

"Basically. Everything after the argument is... pretty hazy. All I can recall is being trapped in some god-awful nightmare, then hearing Heero yelling that he forgave me for fucking up so badly. After that, things are pretty much blank until I woke up about ten minutes ago. Heero was still snoozing, so I got dressed and tracked down the coffee." 

"When you walked into the lounge, you acted like you didn't remember anything of what happened today," Sally said with visible concern. 

Duo rubbed his forehead. "I... I didn't. I really didn't! Not until you guys brought it up and made me think about it...." Yanking on his hair with both hands, he yelled furiously, "How could something like THIS totally slip my mind like that? God, what the fuck's wrong with me!?" 

The Chinese pilot tightened his grip on Duo's shoulders and said very evenly, "Duo, are you SURE you don't remember anything more? Don't try to protect Heero if he...." 

The braided teenager flung up a hand and said, "Whoa whoa whoa! Why the hell do you think I'm protecting Heero? He hasn't DONE anything. I'M the one who screwed up big time!" 

Before they could continue their interrogation, a nearby door suddenly flew open. Turning with a start, they saw the Wing pilot standing in the doorway, only partially dressed in his usual spandex shorts. He completely ignored the others and focused his entire attention to Duo. 

**************** 

At first, Sally couldn't quite figure out the odd expression on Heero's face, then suddenly realized what it was. 

Fear. And just beneath that fear was a definite sense of guilt and shame. 

In the space of less than two hours, she had seen more emotions on the usually stoic Wing pilot's face than she recalled ever seeing. Worry, concern, guilt, and now fear... quite a change for a young man who had previously shown only intense concentration, somewhat sullen annoyance, or basically no emotions at all. 

Sally gave Wufei a frustrated glance. Although the Chinese pilot had refused to tell her exactly what Duo had said while trapped in that agonized trance, she could make some educated guesses. Both Wufei and Heero were convinced that Heero had somehow triggered Duo's painwracked seizure simply by expressing his displeasure and for whatever perverse reason, Duo truly believed that he *deserved* to be punished for angering Heero. She could only presume that Heero had also managed to trigger the uncontrollable lust that had gripped the Deathscythe pilot so unexpectedly. 

(Although I can't believe that Heero did that deliberately, either! I can see it in his eyes -- he's almost crazed with worry about Duo.) 

**************** 

As Heero continued to stare at him, Duo peered over Wufei's shoulder and said, "Hey, Heero? What's up?" 

The Wing pilot flinched slightly when he heard the obvious concern in the other pilot's voice. 

(He... he's acting... normal. Completely... normal. As if the last several hours were just a bad dream...,) Heero thought in a daze, unable to look away from Duo's clear, unshadowed indigo eyes. 

He desperately wished that the events of the last day were nothing more than just a horrible nightmare. But he knew better than to delude himself that way. Even if Duo didn't remember, HE certainly knew that something incredibly sinister had occurred. And judging from the wary, suspicious looks he was receiving from Wufei, Sally, Noin, and Dorothy, they knew that as well as he did. 

Duo somehow managed to slide out of Wufei's grip and took a few quick steps toward him. When the braided teenager stopped and lifted his hand, Heero braced himself for anything... a slap, a punch, a crushing blow to the throat... anything. 

But he certainly wasn't prepared for fingers gently brushing his cheek and Duo's low, worried voice saying, "What's wrong, Heero? Are you all right?" 

"Duo... you're....," he managed in a hoarse croak. 

At a total loss for words, Heero did the only thing he could think of. He grabbed Duo and yanked him into an embrace, hugging him as tightly as he could. 

The Deathscythe pilot uttered a soft grunt of surprise, then settled for patting Heero on the back and uttering soothing noises. 

"Hey, man. Calm down. Take it easy on the ribs, huh? Heero? What's wrong? C'mon, tell me...." 

Heero lifted his head and peering over Duo's shoulder, gave Wufei and the others an unmistakably terrified look. 

**************** 

Wufei finally saw for himself what Sally had seen earlier. More than mere worry for a good friend, he could clearly the profound love in Heero and the fear that comes from being in so deeply love with someone. He knew the feeling all too well. 

The knowledge that Heero cared so much for Duo was somewhat reassuring \-- he no longer suspected Heero of deliberately manipulating or hurting Duo. However, the basic problem still remained. Although Duo was acting very much like his normal self, Wufei knew that Duo was by no means cured or free of whatever hold Heero had over the braided pilot. He couldn't help but notice how quickly Duo had forgotten his own problems and had become solely concerned with Heero's emotional state. It was clear the Wing pilot's mere presence was exerting a profound influence on the Deathscythe pilot's behavior, intentional or not. 

(Heero knows it, too. That's why he's so scared. He KNOWS Duo's not cured at all!) 

**************** 

Dorothy said coolly, "This is all very touching, but we still have an unresolved problem." 

Duo gave her an annoyed look as Heero's embrace gradually loosened. 

"And what's that?" the braided pilot snapped. 

"You." 

"I know that!" 

"Then stop snuggling in the hallway and DO something about it," the blond retorted in acid tones. "Aside from shooting Relena, you cracked my ribs and tried to bash my head in with a rock. I bloody well want to know why." 

"That's easy," Duo muttered sourly under his breath. "It's because you're such a tight-assed bit...." 

Sally coughed loudly and said, "Duo, I'd like to give you a quick physical exam." Before the braided pilot could protest, she quickly said, "And don't say you're fine, because you're obviously not and we both know it." 

The Wing pilot took a deep breath, then shoved Duo gently, but firmly in Sally's direction. 

"Heero?" the Deathscythe pilot said, glancing back at him uncertainly. 

"Idiot. Let the doctor take a look at you." 

Duo threw his hands into the air and muttered, "Fine. I'm outvoted. Drag me away. Poke and prod me to your heart's content, Doc." 

Sally rolled her eyes and said, "Duo?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Please be quiet." 

He snorted and stomped off down the hallway. But halfway down the hall, Duo abruptly stopped, turned, and said hesitantly, "Um... could I see... how Relena's doing?" 

The doctor exchanged quick glances with Wufei and Noin, then said, "I don't see why not. I think she's still sleeping, so a quick peek won't hurt." 

Duo nodded and said quietly, "Thanks. I appreciate it." 

As Sally, Noin, and Dorothy escorted Duo to Relena's room, Wufei remained behind to talk to Heero. The Chinese pilot waited until they were out of sight before speaking. 

"Heero, did you have sex with Duo in there?" Wufei quietly asked as he gestured to the room behind them. 

The Wing pilot gave a sharp, single nod. 

"And that managed to...," the Shenlong pilot groped for a suitable phrase. "That having sex with you satisfied Duo's... um, needs? And it brought him back to normal... or superficially normal, I should say. Because I think we both know that he's definitely NOT acting normal." 

**************** 

Heero stared silently at Wufei. He desperately wanted to confess what he had done to someone, but at the same time, he felt too ashamed to admit to anyone how he had so ruthlessly and mercilessly exploited Duo's vulnerability. 

(I didn't cure him. I only made things worse. I managed to shield him from that terrible hunger, but I did it by deliberately REINFORCING his fixation on me! The only reason he's behaving 'normally' is because he's desperately trying to please me, even if he's not consciously aware of it!) 

Aware that Wufei was waiting impatiently for an answer, Heero opened his mouth, closed it, then settled for a sullen, noncommittal shrug. 

"Is that ALL you have to say?" Wufei demanded. 

His voice taut with frustration and barely concealed guilt, Heero snarled back, "Yes, I fucked him and now he's acting semi-normal! What ELSE do you want me to say!?" 

Before the Chinese pilot could unleash a scathing retort, Heero raked his hand through his unruly dark hair and muttered, "Is there a communications link I can use?" 

Taken aback by the sudden change in topic, Wufei said warily, "Yes, in the lab next door. Why?" 

Heero said tensely, "I need to notify Dr. J and Professor G about what's happened. Maybe they will have some ideas what to do... people we could talk to...." 

"Hm... hopefully." The Chinese pilot followed Heero as the Wing pilot retrieved his laptop and tanktop, then led Heero to the lab. 

"Over at that desk." Wufei turned to leave as Heero finished getting dressed. "Just so you know, I observed some OZ troop movement headed in this direction, so we may not be able to stay here for much longer. I need to move the vehicles into the garage and check the grounds again." 

Heero nodded shortly as the other pilot departed, fully occupied with setting up his link to the doctors. To his surprise, a message was waiting for him. It looked like a typical piece of junk email and even came with a small videoclip attachment which burbled about scenic beachfront property in the South Pacific. With the ease of long practice, Heero instructed his laptop to strip away the first layers of video to access the true message. 

In the grainy videoclip, Dr. J leaned forward and said with careful precision, "Heero, this mission is urgent. We have known for several months that OZ is about to bring a new computer system online. We've already made plans to deal with this. However, we've recently discovered that they have unexpected added a new security module that was not in the original plans. We need to gain access to the new encryption and security files before the system is fully operational. This mission is maximum priority. Do you understand? MAXIMUM PRIORITY." 

The Wing pilot stared blankly at the monitor, then slowly reached up and typed his reply. 

PRIORITY OVERRIDE CONFIRMATION REQUIRED 

The reply came back almost instantaneously. 

THE WALRUS AND THE CARPENTER 

It took Heero a few seconds to process the code phrase, then he typed a response. 

GATEWAY OPEN RECONFIRM PRIORITY OVERRIDE 

A second code phrase appeared in response. 

ELYSIUM HELLFIRE 

The Wing pilot's ordinarily impassive gaze became even colder as every last trace of emotion seemed to drain away, leaving behind orbs of hard, dark blue crystal. Finally, Heero typed in a few last words. 

PRIORITY OVERRIDE CONFIRMED MISSION ACKNOWLEDGED 

A small packet of information arrived at his laptop before his connection shut down. Decoding the files, Heero quickly scanned the mission briefing and made a preliminary assessment of the equipment he would need to successfully carry out his assignment. The most immediately obvious requirement was the aid of a second operative. 

Heero shut down his laptop, slipped into its carrying case, then headed down the hallway to retrieve Duo. 

**************** 

The Wing pilot located Duo and Sally in a neighboring examination room. The braided teenager was obviously humoring the doctor by reluctantly allowing her to examine him. 

"I told you. I've feeling fine, physically, at least!" 

"Shut up, Duo, and take a few deep breaths." 

"All right, all right...." 

"Don't talk. Just breathe." 

Heero frowned briefly, then came to a quick decision. He peeked through the barely open door until both Duo's and Sally's backs were turned, then he silently entered the examination room. Apparently sensing Heero's presence, Duo had already started to turn as Heero stepped up behind Sally and in one smooth motion knocked the doctor unconscious with a quick blow to the back of the neck. 

By the time Duo completed his turn, Heero was lowering Sally silently to the floor. Before the startled Deathscythe pilot could get out a word, Heero clamped a firm hand across his mouth and said in a low, firm voice, "Duo, we have to go." 

Automatically lowering his own voice to match Heero's, Duo whispered frantically, "Why the hell did you do that!?" 

"Because we have a mission and she would have tried to stop us from leaving." 

"Mission? What mission?" 

"I'll tell you more on the way. But we need to leave immediately." 

"But...." 

"Right NOW, Duo," Heero said in adamant tones as he pinned Duo with an intense, commanding stare. 

Duo blinked a bit dazedly, then mumbled weakly, "Do we really... have to...?" 

"Yes, we must leave NOW." 

The Deathscythe pilot hesitated a bit longer, then shrugged in resignation. "What the hell. If it's really that important, I guess she'll forgive us. But at least let me leave the guys a note, so they know we weren't abducted by aliens or something." 

"Fine. Do that." 

**************** 

Less than a half hour later, Sally slowly awoke with a pounding headache and an incredibly sore neck. As she sat up on the exam table, she noticed a small piece of paper tucked in her watchband. Pulling it out, she read it once, read it again, then started to swear sulfurously. 

She staggered to her feet. Following the sound of loud male and female voices, barged into one of the office to confront Wufei and Noin, who were in the midst of a heated argument. 

"Where's Heero and Duo!?" 

"What do you mean, woman?" Wufei snapped angrily. 

The startled Noin took one look at the infuriated doctor and exclaimed, "What's wrong!?" 

"What's wrong? What's wrong!? Take a look at this and tell me what's wrong!" 

The Chinese pilot snatched the note from Sally's hand and read, "Heero and I are off on a mission. Talk to you later!" Although unsigned, Wufei immediately recognized Duo's oddly elegant scrawl. 

Glaring at Sally, he yelled, "How could you let them go!?" 

"I didn't LET them do anything! One moment I'm listening to Duo's heartbeat, and the next moment, I'm waking up on the exam table with a sore neck!" the doctor shouted back in annoyance. 

Wufei took one look at the precisely placed bruise on the doctor's throat and growled in frustration, "Heero.... Kisama! I never should have taken my eyes off him!" 

Noin said, "You mean that Heero knocked you out, Sally?" 

"I think so, although I suppose it could have been Duo." 

Wufei's dark eyes glittered dangerously. "Oh, I bet it was Heero who's responsible for all this!" Without another word, he headed for the garage, only to find one of the clinic's cars missing. When he returned, Noin was just informing Dorothy of the new developments. 

Sally, now clutching an ice pack to her neck, said, "Any luck?" 

"They're long gone," Wufei snarled, fuming angrily. 

"Shit!" Noin muttered. "Now what?" 

Almost in reply, they all heard the roar of Mobile Suits passing overhead. 

Dorothy said, "Now we get the hell out of here, I think." 

**************** 

Heero ditched the clinic's car after a few miles, then stole another vehicle. As they headed toward the local train station, the Wing pilot kept a wary eye on Duo. Every so often, the Deathscythe pilot displayed some hint of reluctance, but Heero readily overcame Duo's hesitation by firmly and constantly repeating his demand that they proceed to their next mission. 

They reached the station and boarded a high-speed train to Dumont without incident. As they settled into their seats for the two hour trip, Duo mumbled, "I still feel sort of bad about Sally and leaving the other guys like that." 

"The mission is more important, Duo." 

"I... suppose. But Wufei's going to be mega-pissed off with us." 

"That's his problem." 

Heero's cold blue eyes narrowed as Duo continued to fidget restlessly. Finally, in the same firm emphatic voice he had been using ever since they left the clinic, Heero said, "You're feeling tired, aren't you?" 

Duo yawned involuntarily as he felt exhaustion roll over him. As he struggled to keep his eyelids open, he muttered, "Yeah... tired...." 

"Then go to sleep." 

"Sleep... sounds nice...." 

"I'll wake up you when we arrive at our destination." 

"Yeah... wake me...." Duo's voice trailed off into a barely audible snore, leaving Heero free to concentrate on his plans, both for the mission and for Duo. 

**************** 

[ three hours later, at a safehouse in Dumont ] 

Heero glanced up from his laptop as Duo walked into the kitchen of their new safehouse. Judging from the uncomfortable, but determined look on the braided pilot's face, he was definitely having second thoughts about accompanying Heero without so much as a word with Sally, Wufei or the others. If Heero didn't do something quickly, Duo was going to contact them, probably out of some sense of guilt, to reassure them that he was okay. But that was the last thing he wanted. The current mission was strictly on a need-to-know basis. The others did not need to know. 

Shutting down his laptop, Heero decided that it was about time to deal with Duo. While in most cases, Duo's independent attitude was a vital asset, it also posed a significant problem for the Wing pilot. At the moment, Duo was certainly receptive to his suggestions, but the Deathscythe pilot's continued reluctance and hesitation was troublesome. He didn't want to spend valuable time or effort constantly coaxing Duo into compliance. On the other hand, he didn't want the other pilot to be incapable of independent decision-making, either. Micromanaging Duo's every thought and activity simply wasn't a feasible option. 

But during the train trip, the Wing pilot had developed a plan that should give him the best of both worlds. Those hours on the train had been spent carefully reviewing and analyzing every nuance of Duo's recent behavior. It was obvious that the key to controlling the Deathscythe pilot involved controlling his emotions and sensory perceptions. Since Duo was still subconsciously fixated on him, he already had considerable influence over Duo's actions, but he needed much more control to operate at maximum efficiency. Therefore, the critical objectives would be: (1) to consolidate and maximize HIS control over Duo; (2) while retaining most of Duo's ability to operate independently; and (3) preventing anyone else from interfering with his control. 

As Duo sat down and opened his mouth to speak, Heero seized the initiative and launched his carefully calculated plan of attack. 

**************** 

With a deep sigh, Duo said, "Heero, I really think that I should...." 

"You feel good when you hear my voice," Heero stated in a cold monotone. 

Duo squirmed in his chair as he felt a slight flush of heat in his groin. "Um... yeah. But not as if that's anything really new. I've always liked the sound of your voice, Heero." 

(Hell, did I just say that?) the Deathscythe pilot wondered in acute embarrassment. 

"I want you to remember." 

Duo blinked in surprise at the tone of icy command in Heero's voice. 

"Remember what?" 

"Remember that you can feel me inside you at this very moment. Remember that you can feel my cock filling your ass." 

The contrast between the cold, flat voice and the crude, explicit language left the other pilot momentarily shocked. 

"What the...!?" Duo's eyes suddenly went wide and he stiffened in his chair as Heero's words seemed to rip aside a curtain in his mind. An unexpected jolt of sensation left him momentarily breathless. 

(Oh god, it's true! I can feel him IN me!) 

"You feel like I'm fucking you at this very moment. Hard. Over and over again." 

"Shit, this is craz... ooh...!" Duo leapt up from his chair and tried to stand, but failed as the pleasure intensified sharply. His knees buckling, he sagged to the floor and clawed futilely at his buttocks. 

"What... what are you DOING to me!?" Duo yelled in terror, his whole body involuntarily twitching and arching in perfect synchronization with the thrusts he felt inside him. 

Heero leaned across the table and said coldly, "You can feel me touching you all over... on your nipples, in your mouth, along your cock and balls...." 

"Please.... stop... Heero... don't... do this... to me...!" the braided pilot babbled as he started to writhe uncontrollably on the floor. 

"Feel my cock inside you? It's rubbing all those special places inside you. I'm touching those spots, Duo. I'm stroking and pressing those spots. My touch makes you feel so good." 

"Oh god... yes!" Duo groaned, amethyst eyes glazing over as his body spasmed. 

(Feels... feels so good... it feels so fuckin' good! More... I need more... no... this is crazy! Stop it, Heero! Stop... stop... don't... don't... don't... stop... so... so GOOD!!!) 

"I control the pleasure. The pleasure controls you. If I control the pleasure, then I control you. Say it." 

"Uuunnnn... uuunnnn... No!... no...," the braided pilot grunted, unaware of his own hands clutching at and fondling the crotch of his pants. 

"The pleasure is growing stronger, Duo. As the pleasure grows stronger, my control over you gets stronger." 

Like a beach being pounded by a storm surf, Duo felt his will being inexorably washed away little by little by the relentless waves of pleasure coursing through his body. He made one last frantic attempt to get away, but all he did was thrash helplessly on the hardwood floor, unable to control his body at all. 

"You have to give in, Duo. You don't have a choice," Here said flatly. 

"This... this is... all... wrong... please... Heero...," the Deathscythe pilot panted in a hopeless voice. 

"When you give in, you will receive total pleasure." 

Duo abruptly convulsed as exquisite sensation erupted inside him. 

 "....H-Heerrroooo... ahhhhhh!" 

Heero watch the other pilot's frenzied movements with dispassionate eyes. 

"And with total pleasure comes total control. My control." 

"....yesssss...," Duo could only moan mindlessly as his body continued to tremble as sharp bursts of pleasure exploded throughout his body. 

"You feel safe and secure because I'm in control." 

"....yesss.... in control...." Duo felt another jolt of pleasure, his reward for the correct answer. 

"You feel good when I am in control. Say it." 

".... feel good... when you... control...." The braided teenager's body shook and trembled as pleasure ripped through his mind again. 

"You like me being in control," Heero intoned as he circled the table, knelt down, and calmly pulled off the other pilot's slacks and underwear. 

"....oh, yessss...." A terrible, inexorable joy swamped Duo's mind as he sensed the approach of his utter submission and his desperately craved release. 

"I am in complete control. Say it." 

"You are in... complete... control." Duo experienced a much longer, sustained wave of sensations that washed back and forth through his body, growing in strength with every ripple. Every time he submitted to or complied with Heero's demands, Duo experienced overpowering jolts of sexual and emotional joy, just as if the Wing pilot held a switch directly wired into the pleasure centers of his brain. Already deeply drawn to the sound of Heero's normal voice, the constant, repetitive pulses of sensations irresistably reinforced that addiction, especially to the cold, domineering variant of that voice. 

"I am in complete control of you. Say it," Heero demanded ruthlessly, his soulless blue eyes glittering as he reached out and placed a firm hand on Duo's genitals. 

"You are in... complete... control... of me...," Duo choked out, his head thrashing wildly from side to side, his body taut with need. 

"Say it again. You cannot come unless you truly believe it." 

"....you... are... in... COMPLETE... CONTROL... OF... ME!!!" 

The braided pilot screamed out the words as he orgasmed helplessly, his semen spurting over Heero's fingers. But instead of fading away, the overwhelming ecstasy simply continued to mount as Duo came again and again and again. 

"You'll do anything I tell you to do." 

"....do anything...." Duo came again, his violet eyes glassy and blank, as his lips curled into a rapturous smile. 

"Think anything I tell you think." 

"....think anything...." Another orgasm, even more powerful than before racked the Deathscythe pilot's slender frame. 

"Feel anything I tell you to feel." 

"....feel anything...."  Ecstasy tore through Duo again as Heero's fingers shifted minutely on his testicles and penis. 

"You belong only to me." 

"....yours.... only yours... all yours..., " came the soft, breathless chant as Duo's body quivered like a plucked violin string, vibrating continuously on a single perfect sustained note of joy. 

"I am your master." 

"....my Master...." Each agreement, each concession, was instantly rewarded and reinforced with another mindblowing orgasm. 

"You are my slave." 

"....yessss... I am... your slave...." Duo basked in the pure happiness and pleasure as he acknowledged his true state of being. 

"You exist to serve and obey me." 

"I exist... to serve... and obey... you...." The braided pilot smiled at the utter rightness of his Master's words. 

"A slave must utterly submit to his Master's will at all times, without hesitation or reservation." 

"....submit...." The braided pilot shuddered all over as his Master's fingers encircled and held his cock prisoner, just as his Master held his mind and soul captive. 

"When I address you in this tone and manner, I am addressing you in command mode. Understand?" Heero stated, lightly brushing his calloused fingertips over the excruciatingly sensitive tip of Duo's penis. 

"....I... understand...," Duo panted, writhing as pure joy strobed and pulsated in his brain. 

"You will recognize instantly and without error when I address you in command mode and when I do not." 

"....yes...." His Master's voice, his smell, his touch.... Duo eagerly etched every subtle nuance of his Master's identity and behavior into his memory. 

"When I address you in command mode, I am your Master and you must obey." 

His body a throbbing mass of ecstasy, Duo gasped out, "....must obey... obey... obey...," like a holy mantra. 

"Because obedience makes you feel pleasure. Because when you obey, you feel happy and secure. Your orgasms are now ten times as intense. Continue orgasming until I tell you to stop." 

Duo convulsed sharply, his violet eyes appearing almost opaque from the thick glaze of ecstasy in them. 

"Yes, Master! Oh god, YES!!!" he cried, insane with joy as Heero slipped his fingers deep into Duo's ass and methodically took possession of the moist, hot recesses of the other pilot's body. 

"There is no god. There is only ME." 

Duo gave Heero a beatific smile of total adoration as he rocked frantically back and forth, expressing his fervent and abject agreement with his entire body, even as he continued to stare fixedly into Heero's dark, empty eyes. 

"My will is your will. My desires are your desires. My pleasure is your pleasure." Heero spoke in a voice utterly devoid of emotion or feeling, as if he were merely reciting a multiplication table and not remaking another human's soul. 

"....yessss!" Duo moaned, as he came yet again, the pleasure searing each of Heero's statements deep into the very core of his being. 

"Initiate programming mode." 

"Command me, Master!" Duo felt his very soul unfolding, totally receptive to Heero's every word. 

"Slave, this is your default programming. This programming can only be modified by myself and only when I address you in command mode as your Master. Do you understand?" 

"....understood...." Duo felt as if his entire being was a formless lump, craving to be molded and shaped by his Master's hand, voice, and will. 

"No one else can access or alter your programming under any other conditions, not even myself. Is that clear?" 

"I... understand. Only the Master in command mode... may alter or modify... my default programming," the braided teenager gasped, his need to be directed and utterly controlled growing ever stronger. 

"You will have no conscious awareness of being my slave, of being programmed, of having any abnormal emotional or sexual needs or cravings. You will behave like your previous self. You will act, think, and feel like the old Duo Maxwell, unless I, as your Master, explicitly and specifically order you to do otherwise." 

"Yes, Master!" 

"When I, as your Master, give you an order in command mode, you will experience no conflict between my orders and yourself." 

"Because your will... is my will...." 

"Any command that I give you will feel perfectly acceptable, even if that command completely contradicts what Duo Maxwell normally thinks or believes. You will experience no guilt, shame, or any other negative emotion as you carry out any of my orders. And you will obey me." 

"Yes, Master! I obey! I exist to serve and obey you!" the braided pilot responded, a fanatical fire glowing in his amethyst eyes. 

"Aside from any direct orders to the contrary, you will fully retain your original personality and intelligence at all times. You will continue to behave normally and perform to the best of your ability with maximum competence and efficiency." 

"Yes, Master!" 

"Aside from any direct orders to the contrary, you will evaluate and assess all information with your usual critical judgement, and treat that information accordingly, even if that information relates to your true condition or state of mind. If anyone confronts you with convincing evidence of your true condition, you will treat that information as you will treat any other fact. However, that knowledge will have no personal significance for you and you will feel no emotional conflict or turmoil." 

"....yes... yes, Master!" 

"Orders issued by your Master in command mode must be interpreted and carried out in a manner consistent with your best understanding of the Master's true intentions, desires, and interests. All other orders or requests, by myself or others, are to be followed in accordance to Duo Maxwell's normal personality. However, at all times, you will experience an extremely strong subconscious desire to please me. The closer my voice approaches to the Master's command mode, the stronger your craving to please and serve me grows. Do you understand?" 

His eyes gleaming with ecstatic bliss and overwhelming love, Duo pleaded, "I want to please you. I BEG to please you! I NEED to please you. I MUST please you! PLEASE ALLOW ME TO PLEASE AND SERVE YOU, MASTER!" 

"Lock down default programming. Exit programming mode," Heero commanded in chilling tones. 

"Yes, Master!" 

"You will stop orgasming now," the Wing pilot ordered. 

Duo froze in mid-motion, then fell slackly back onto the floor, panting hoarsely, his pants and lower body covered with ejaculate, and sweat dripping off his trembling body as he awaited Heero's next orders in a vacant-eyed daze. His head lolled from side to side, occasionally twitching as the residual aftershocks of his orgasms continued to dance along his overloaded nerves. A thin trickle of saliva seeped from the corner of his mouth as he gasped soundlessly for air. But despite his exhaustion and the massive sensory overload, Duo never took his wide, glassy stare away from Heero. 

"You will clean up this room and your body. Leave no traces. You will then take a long hot bath. By the time you're finished with your bath, your default programming will be fully operative. Do you understand?" 

The Deathscythe pilot choked back an anguished sob as his Master removed his fingers from Duo's body. He gulped for air, fought for control, and whispered, "Yes... Master...." 

Heero held out his semen- and fluid-covered hand and allowed Duo to reverently lick it clean. Finally, he pulled his fingers away and said, "Now go and clean yourself up." 

"Yes, Master," the slave whispered, utterly compliant. 

As the Wing pilot turned and started to walk out of the kitchen, he rubbed his still damp fingers and said distantly, "When you're done, I have some questions to ask you, Duo, especially about your physical modifications and other abilities." 

"Yes, Heero," came the obedient response. 

Left to his own devices, a glassy-eyed Duo slowly dragged himself to his feet. He stumbled over toward the counters on legs that wobbled like a newborn colt's and reached for a roll of paper towels. 

**************** 

An hour later, Duo strolled back into the pristine kitchen, dressed in a bathrobe, to find Heero again working on his laptop. Towelling his long, damp hair, he peered curiously over the Wing pilot's shoulder and said brightly, "What's up?" 

Heero said in his cold monotone, "Sit down, Duo." 

Duo pulled out a chair and dropped into it. Pulling a brush from a pocket of his robe, he began to work the knots out his hair. 

"Who programmed you? And why are you fixated on me?" 

Without missing a brushstroke, Duo said pensively, "I don't know." 

Heero gave the Deathscythe pilot a hard stare. "Explain." 

Sensing the obvious skepticism, Duo gave the Wing pilot an earnest look and said, "I'm sorry, Heero, but it's true. I can't remember anything that might explain why I feel so strongly about you." As he slowly resumed untangling his hair, Duo murmured, "Except...." 

"What?" 

In a bare whisper, Duo murmured, "A... a terrible whiteness... nothing to see... nothing to feel... nothing to hear... just a horrible, horrible emptiness... not just around me, but inside me, too... a hollowness that ate away at me until there was nothing left except more emptiness...." 

He put his brush down and reached for Heero's hand. The Wing pilot did not pull away from the contact, but merely continued to listen. 

"And then... out of that void, YOU came. I was nothing... less than nothing... but with your touch, your words... your mere presence... you filled all that emptiness inside me in an instant. You MADE me real again, Heero. How could I not adore and love you for that?" Duo said, his violet eyes bright with emotion. "For rescuing me from hell?" 

Normally, Heero would have been far from satisfied with Duo's story, but his own vague memories of a smothering whiteness, long brown hair, and violet eyes made the tale more than plausible. He shoved the uneasiness triggered by those memories into the back of his mind and concentrated on more important matters. 

"Do you harbor similar feelings to anyone else?" the Wing pilot demanded sharply. 

Duo grinned and chuckled softly. "Oh no, Heero. I swear that you are my one and only." 

"What about your physical modifications and those sexual skills you displayed earlier?" 

Occupied with separating his hair into plaits, Duo said absently, "What physical modifications?" 

Heero commanded, "Stand up and bend over the table." 

Hanging to his partially separated hair with both hands and apparently unfazed by Heero's orders, Duo immediately compiled. Pulling the bathrobe out of the way, the Wing pilot brusquely stuck two fingers into Duo's anus. 

For an instant, the passage was painfully tight and dry, but then Heero felt a familiar slickness coating his fingers as Duo moaned and squirmed, instantly and overwhelmingly aroused by the intrusion. 

Pulling his fingers from the other pilot's body, Heero held his moistened fingers in front of Duo's face and said flatly, "THIS physical modification," before wiping his fingers clean on the hem of the braided pilot's bathrobe. 

Duo blinked dazedly. It took a moment or two to pull himself out of the haze of pleasure before he could think of a coherent answer. 

"Sorry, Heero, but I haven't got a damn clue." He gave the Wing pilot a wicked little smile. "But it certainly makes it damn convenient when you want to fuck me, hm?" 

Heero didn't bother to reply. Instead, he shoved Duo back down into his chair and demanded, "The sexual skills?" 

"Oh that." Duo shrugged, looking a bit disappointed as he resumed his efforts to braid his hair. "All I know that I wanted to give you pleasure and BAM! I suddenly realized that I knew exactly how best to do it." Peering up through his bangs, Duo said wistfully, "Was it good for you?" 

Heero ignored that question, also. Duo was incapable of lying to him, but the unexplained physical modifications and sexual skills clearly indicated that there was a great deal that he didn't know about Duo's conditioning and programming. His modifications certainly weren't random, but were obviously part of some greater overall purpose or function. 

The lack of knowledge disturbed him. He didn't like going into combat relying on an unfamiliar weapon, especially one that might have unexpected booby traps, but he didn't have a choice. He needed the other pilot's assistance for the mission to succeed. 

He didn't have the time to investigate matters now, but when their current mission was completed, he would devote his energy to exploring all the advantages and disadvantages to using Duo Maxwell. 

Finishing up his braid, the Deathscythe pilot casually flicked it over his shoulder and said with a cheerful grin, "So, what's the mission?" 

In a flat voice, Heero said, "I'm going to infiltrate the new OZ computer complex." 

"And what about me?" Duo said, nearly bouncing in his chair with excitement. 

"Your job is to extract the necessary passwords from Treize Khushrenada and transmit them to me so I can access the newly augmented network security routines." 

"Cool!" Duo bounced to his feet and struck a triumphant pose. "Treize, that pretty ass of yours is MINE!" 

"Hn."


	8. Teaser for Part 7

[ a safehouse in Dumont ] 

Seated in the kitchen, Heero paused to look at a fully dressed Duo as the Deathscythe pilot analyzed the information they had on Treize Khushrenada's current location. 

"Hm... that's interesting. That military base is so new that they haven't even completed the officer's quarters. Treize and the other high-ranking officers are staying at a fancy old country estate right next door." Duo flicked through a few pages. "Heh. I bet the prospect of having a full scale military installation next door did wonders for the local property values." 

Without warning, using his command mode voice, the Wing pilot said, "Suspend default programming. Revert to your true state." 

As if Heero flicked a switch, Duo looked up and instantly responded, "Yes, Master." 

"How do you feel?" 

"I feel good, Master. Happy." The braided pilot's voice somehow managed to sound sure, yet extremely submissive. 

"Why?" Heero demanded curtly. 

Duo gazed adoringly into the empty cobalt blue eyes and said, "Because you own me. Because I'm your slave." 

"And how do you know that I own you?" 

Without any hesitation, Duo replied, "Because your presence never leaves me. Because I can always feel you inside me... filling me... fucking me... constantly reminding me that I am yours to control. Without your touch and your will, I am nothing." 

"And if you displease me?" The Wing pilot's voice was devoid of any emotion. 

Duo frowned, then with a fanatical gleam shone in his dark violet eyes, he said firmly, "Then I am at fault. My sole purpose to serve and please you, Master. If I displease you, I must be punished severely and without mercy, until I correct my failure to please." 

"And how will you be punished?" Heero inquired dispassionately. 

"In whatever manner you deem fit, Master. As you command my pleasure, you command my pain. Reward or discipline me as you choose." 

"And if I choose to punish you?" 

"If it pleases you to punish me, then I beg to be punished until you are satisfied. Order and I will obey, Master." 

Thoughtfully, as if formulating a purely intellectual exercise, Heero said, "So you will feel or experience anything that I want you to feel or experience, regardless of how painful or distressing." 

Duo nodded and said, "Yes, Master." 

The Wing pilot added, "Even torture? Rape?" 

The braided pilot shivered, but any dread he felt was completely overridden by his overwhelming love and his desire to obey his Master's every command. 

"Yes, Master. What... whatever pleases you. Anything you desire. My mind and body are yours to command." 

The Wing pilot sat back in his chair and stared at Duo. He was curious to know just how far he could alter Duo's perceptions of himself and reality. Heero briefly considered running a test scenario, then changed his mind. The current mission was too urgent and he didn't want risk impairing the Deathscythe pilot's performance. There would be plenty of time to test the true limits of Duo's obedience afterward. 

In his command mode, Heero snapped, "Resume default programming, Duo." 

His words appeared to act like a global reset. The braided pilot blinked once, then gave the dark-haired teenager a slightly bemused smile. 

"Ummm... what was I saying? 

Heero scowled at him. "Keep your mind on the mission." 

Duo grinned sheepishly and chuckled. "Sorry about that. Oh yeah. As I was about to say, the security at the estate is a bit weak because they had to stretch the base's defensive perimeter to cover the temporary officers' quarters." 

"Do you anticipate any problems getting inside?" 

Duo smiled wickedly and nibbled on the end of his braid. "Nope." 

"I don't care how you get that information out of Khushrenada, but remember that I need time to complete the necessary downloading and modifications to the new security computer node. You have to keep your interrogation a secret for at least a few hours, or else they're going to change the access codes." 

Leaning back in his chair and stretching his arms overhead, Duo drawled, "Hey, no sweat! I'll do my best to keep a low profile. My plan is to slide in Treize's quarters, ask my questions, and slide right back out without anyone being the wiser. But if complications come up... well, don't worry. I'll get you the access codes and the time you need, one way or another." 

"Hn." 

Duo jumped to his feet and said, "I guess I'm off, then." On his way out of the kitchen, he casually inquired, "By the way, Heero, do you want Treize dead or alive when I'm through with him?" 

Heero pondered the question, then said curtly, "Preferably alive. And try not to compromise his position too much. The in-fighting between Khushrenada, Bernard Lundquist, and their respective factions helps to keep our enemy disorganized and weak. The last thing we need is OZ unified under the control of someone like Lundquist." 

"Gotcha. You want it, you got it, Heero." 

As Duo disappeared out the door, the Wing pilot heard the other teenager cheerfully singing an very old pop tune. 

"....But baby can't you see?" "There's nothing left for me to do" "I'm hopelessly devoted to you...." 

**************** 

Duo had spent the last several hours patiently observing both the new OZ facility and the extravagant mansion that served as temporary officers' quarters. He also made the effort to verify the type of security equipment and procedures used at the base. He could afford to take the time -- Heero needed at least 24 hours to get into position at his end and for this mission, stealth was nearly as important as speed. 

From his location high in a leafy tree, his acute hearing made it very easy to eavesdrop on the security guards at the rear gate. Most of the time, they whined about the base's sloppy construction and how the officers had it soft, living in that fancy mansion, but every so often, they would drop useful tidbits of information. 

He smirked silently as one of the roving canine security teams strolled right underneath his hiding place, both the handler and the dog totally oblivious to Duo's presence less than twenty feet directly overhead. 

His thigh-length hair was freed from its usual neat braid and floated around his body almost like a cloak of silken threads. In the cool still afternoon air, the long individual chestnut strands stirred restlessly, constantly flicking back and forward in an oddly deliberate fashion, almost like a cat's tail or a snake's flickering tongue. 

He had changed out of his usual priestly looking garb. The Deathscythe pilot was still dressed in entirely in black, but on this occasion, he wore sleek, body-hugging pants, a turtle-necked sleeveless tanktop, and black gloves. A matching long-sleeved jacket covered his arms and the pair of shoulder holsters he wore. 

The sound of an approaching truck caught his attention. 

(Right on schedule.) 

The black-clad pilot dropped from the tree without a sound, again failing to attract the slightest attention from the guard dog or its handler as they diligently patrolled less than twenty yards away, and ran toward the access road. As the large truck slowed down to make the last turn leading to the base, the truck driver didn't see anything as Duo dashed out from the sparse undergrowth and ran across the thirty foot wide strip of bare grass bordering the road. Nor did the man notice as Duo, without any apparent strain or effort, jumped over twelve feet to snag the top edge of the cargo compartment and pulled himself up. 

He flattened himself out on the truck roof and patiently waited. No one noticed his presence -- not the security guard checking the driver's papers, the other two guards searching the cargo compartment or peering under the truck, nor the soldier manning the video camera mounted over the entrance to the base. The truck was waved through without incident and rolled for the warehouse area. 

As soon as the vehicle passed through a patch of shadows cast by the afternoon sun, Duo rolled off the roof. He landed neatly and silently on his feet, got his bearings, and headed toward Treize's quarters. All without a trace. 

**************** 

The sun had just set as Wufei slipped into Treize's quarters. As usual, he had informed the general he was coming. It reduced the chances of an unfortunate encounter with security. 

(What the hell am I doing here? I should be finding a safe place for Relena, Sally, and the others, or I should be trying to locate Heero and Duo.) 

But he *needed* to talk to Treize. 

(About what? Oh yes, about that plot to dirty the Peacecraft's reputation. Lundquist's doing, no doubt. But someone warned Noin that OZ forces were moving in. I'm willing to bet Treize leaked the information or at least arranged that leak. I know he has plans for Relena Peacecraft, plans that require her to be a neutral party... or at least appear as such.) 

He frowned at the dull throb of pain in the back of his head. For the last few weeks, he had felt a growing tension and uneasiness... almost like a sense of impending doom. That was hardly unexpected given that he, a Gundam pilot, was in the midst of a sexual affair with one of the highest ranking officers in OZ. 

(Stop trying to fool yourself, Wufei! It stopped being a simple matter of rampaging teenage hormones months ago! I'm not just sleeping with the enemy, I... love him.) 

But that admission only made his persistent sense of guilt and misery worse. How long could such feelings survive in this ugly war with OZ? 

Caught up in his inner turmoil, it took a minute or two to realize something was wrong. The living room of Treize's quarters was dark and silent. It was very possible that the general was simply late, but a subtle wrongness to the entire situation caused Wufei to start backing warily toward the French doors. 

"Going somewhere, Chang?" The male voice was unmistakably Treize's, but its usual smooth tones were marred by an uncharacteristic bitterness and anger. 

"Treize? Is there something... wrong?" the Shenlong pilot said in an unusually tentative tone. 

Illumination abruptly flooded the room. The general sat in an antique armchair, a bare sword negligently held in one hand as he glared at Wufei with coldly furious blue eyes. 

"Wrong? You might say so? Then again, you may consider a betrayal of trust and honor to be a trivial matter." 

Wufei shook his head in confusion. "Betrayal? What on earth are you talking about?" 

The older man actually had to take a deep breath before he spoke. "I'm talking about your betrayal of my trust, Chang." 

Wufei rubbed at his forehead and replied, "I still don't understand what you're talking about!" 

Treize said in a silken, lethal voice, "I'm talking about cold-bloodedly seducing and drugging me repeatedly over the last several months in order to gain high-level access to the OZ computer network." 

The teenager gaped mutely at him for a moment, then blurted, "Say WHAT!?" 

"There's nothing wrong with your hearing, Chang." 

Wufei shook his head violently. "This... this is crazy! The whole world's gone absolutely insane! First Duo, then Heero, and now you!" 

"Are you denying it?" 

"Hell, yes! Of course I deny it! Damn it! God help me, but I love you! How could you possibly think that I would betray your trust AND my honor by doing something as treacherous as that!" 

Treize's expression tightened. "I didn't want to believe it. I couldn't believe it... but I have proof." 

"What proof!?" 

"A technician's mistake lead to the discovery of unaccountable computer activity from MY computer system. The timing of those activities coincided perfectly with your visits. I wanted to believe that there was some other explanation so I had some surveillance cameras installed before your last visit. And THIS is what I saw." Treize said as he pushed a button. 

Wufei's eyes widened as he watched himself on the monitor as he left the bedroom and walked into the living room. He could only stare as he saw himself, stark naked, walk over to Treize's desk, and busily start typing and inserting data disks into the computer. 

As the image froze on the screen, the teenager stumbled forward, shaking his head. He choked out, "No. That's impossible. That's IMPOSSIBLE! I didn't... I COULDN'T... do something like this to you!" 

Almost wearily, Treize said, "I had a drug test the next morning. They found traces of two extremely powerful and fast-acting tranquilizers in my bloodstream. Considering their potency, there was only one opportunity to ingest those drugs." The general looked up and said coldly, "And that was with you." 

Wufei turned his back to Treize and propped his hands on a elegant sidetable as he continued to shake his head. 

Treize rose to his feet, sword still in hand, and said flatly, "Are you still denying it? Then how do you explain this video? How do you explain the computer activity and the drugs in my system?" With a growing sense of anger in his voice, the general continued, "Was everything that happened between us nothing but lies and trickery? Was I just a convenient means to an end? Damn it, Wufei! I thought we understood each other! I TRUSTED you!" 

At those words, the teenager's body stiffened, then his shoulders started shaking. At first, Treize thought that Wufei was sobbing, but he abruptly realized that the Chinese pilot wasn't crying at all. 

He was laughing. 

Wufei whirled around, his black eyes glittering with malice. He smiled darkly, "You TRUSTED me? Then I suppose you made a very stupid and very costly mistake, my dear general." 

Treize backed up a step. Of all possible scenarios, he never expected a reaction quite like this one. 

"What...?" 

"But it doesn't matter if you or the entire world knows what a fucking idiot you are. My mission here is nearly complete. Just one more upload and I'm finished." Wufei tilted his head slightly. "Just as well. I don't think I could have tolerated you shoving your filthy cock up my ass one more time." 

It was Treize's turn to shake his head in mute denial. 

The Shenlong pilot grinned viciously, then without warning, he snatched up a small vase and hurtled it at Treize's head. The general instinctively dodged... right into the *second* object Wufei threw. 

Treize only had an instant to realize his mistake, then the decorative plate slammed into his temple and knocked him into oblivion. 

**************** 

Like a shadow, Duo slipped unnoticed through the hallways toward Treize's quarters. He picked the lock on an unoccupied suite directly above the general's rooms and headed toward the bathroom and the old wetwall that led down to Treize's bathroom. The foot-wide space between the two plaster walls was intended to hold the water and sewer pipes. Now that space would give the Deathscythe pilot easy access to his target. 

**************** 

Treize slowly awoke to an excruciating headache and severely aching shoulders. He could guess where the headache came from, but it took him several moments to figure out the problem with his shoulders. Twisting his pounding head cautiously, he realized that he was hanging by his wrists from one of the sturdy chandelier hooks on the high ceiling of the living room. 

He glanced down and observed Wufei shutting down his computer. The teenager got up, picked up Treize's sword, and casually strolled over to his uncomfortably suspended captive. 

Wufei gave him that same darkling smile and said, "You're finally awake. Good. I don't want you to miss any of this." 

Treize said hoarsely, "Miss what?" 

"Your death, of course. Surely you don't think that I'd let you get away with all the humiliation and degradation you put me through." Wufei lifted the razor sharp sword and gently prodded the general's groin with the tip. 

"What humiliation!? I never hurt, forced, OR constrained you in any way! You came to ME, claiming that you felt lonely... looking for someone who 'understood' you!" 

Wufei's eyes glittered furiously. "No, I suppose you didn't tie me up or beat me... but I'm sure you would have. Eventually. Perverts like you always enjoy games like that." He gestured grandly with the sword in the direction of the leather cuffs binding Treize's wrists high above his head. "Where do you think I got those restraints? I found them buried in one of your closets. It was just a matter of time before you would have tried to use them or those other disgusting sex toys on me." 

 Treize gritted his teeth. "I won't deny that I've used them before with other lovers, but I never... NEVER would have forced you to, Wufei...." 

"Liar! You enjoy wallowing in filth and I DESPISE you for making it necessary for me to wallow with you. You have no idea how many times you came within a hairsbreadth of death at my hands as you lay on your soiled bedsheets snoring like a hog!" 

Treize whispered, "You're INSANE." That was the only explanation he could think of which could explain the teenager's wild behavior. 

"If I am, it's all because of you and OZ. OZ has taken everything from me... my home, my entire clan, my innocence...." Wufei whipped the blade up and prodded Treize in the throat. "And my WIFE!" 

"Your... your WIFE!?" 

"Exactly. So you see, I could NEVER enjoy the touch of a pig who allies himself with those monsters responsible for my beloved wife's murder!" 

Wufei stepped back, nearly panting in fury. He took a few deep breaths, then said in a slightly calmer voice. "The only reason you've survived this long is because I needed you to access the OZ network. Now that I've finished my task, my DEAR general, you are now completely expendable. It's only justice that you pay for what you did to me." 

**************** 

Before he tried breaking through the plaster into Treize's bathroom, Duo listened carefully. He could hear two people breathing and the sound of computer activity. And even through the plaster, the Deathscythe pilot picked up a familiar scent. 

(Wufei? What the hell is WUFEI doing here in Treize's quarters?) 

From the age of the scent, Duo instantly knew that this wasn't just a first-time visit, but that Wufei had been in Treize's quarters repeatedly over a period of possibly months. 

(Great. Just fucking great.) 

But before he could begin his entry into the bathroom, he heard Wufei speaking to Treize. The undertones in his voice and the subtle shift in Wufei's scent told him that something was seriously wrong, an impression that was confirmed almost before Wufei had finished his first two sentences. Duo didn't need a psychologist to figure out that the other pilot was totally off his rocker. 

Slicing through the plaster, Duo silently eased himself into the bathroom. He parked himself behind the door leading from the bedroom to the living room and continued to eavesdrop with ever increasing anxiety. 

**************** 

His mind whirling in confusion, pain, and misery, Treize still managed to retain much of his usual elegant sarcasm as he said, "I assume you intend to make me suffer as much as possible before you kill me," as he eyed the long silvery sword in Wufei's hand. 

"I know what a private person you are, Treize. You definitely wouldn't want witnesses to this little confrontation so I'm certain that you gave instructions that you weren't to be disturbed for any reason until at least morning. That's plenty of time. And your rooms have excellent soundproofing...." 

"As you should know. You certainly yelled loud enough when I...." 

Wufei brutally slapped the general twice across the face. Breathing heavily, he snarled, "I know what you're trying to do, Treize. You're trying to enrage me into killing you quickly. But it won't work. I've dreamt about this for far too long to let you escape so easily." 

Tasting the blood in his mouth, Treize said with a sad calmness, "It was worth a try." 

"But I won't use this," the Shenlong pilot said as he carelessly tossed the sword aside. 

As Treize watched warily, Wufei held out his right hand, then snapped his fingers. 

The general recoiled as a tall, bright yellow flame suddenly roared to life in the teenager's hand, who seemed impervious to the heat that Treize could feel from over six feet away. 

"How did you....!?" 

"Oh, this is nothing, my dear general." With a sweeping gesture, Wufei tossed the flame to the floor. The thin ribbon of fire lengthened and thickened, spiraling and winding around Wufei's body like a great serpent. And as the flaming ribbon arched over the Shenlong pilot's head, the tip split in two to form an unmistakable dragon's head, complete with a gaping, fanged mouth that roared forth a blast of pure heat that threatened to blister Treize's exposed skin. 

As Wufei's black eyes seemed to take on a ruby-like glow, the teenager said, "I've already disconnected all the fire and smoke alarms in your quarters. Now I'm going to give you a small taste of hell! I'm going to flay you alive first, then I'm going to char the flesh from your bones, inch by agonizing inch!" 

In nearly every human's soul rests a primal fear of fire. Treize was no exception. Death by steel was one thing, but the prospect of burning to death was enough to make him cringe. 

**************** 

(Oh SHIT! Wu-man's a pyrokinetic! And he's about to turn Treize into major league toast!) Duo thought as Wufei, using a ribbon of flame just like a whip, lashed out at Treize. The general uttered a smothered scream as the flame seared along his right hip. 

The Deathscythe pilot flung open the door and yelled, "Wufei, STOP IT!" 

"Maxwell, what the hell are doing here!?" the Shenlong pilot growled at the unexpected interruption. 

"I'm here for Treize. We need him alive!" 

"YOU might need him alive, but I don't! I've waited far too long for this moment!" the other pilot ranted. 

Duo smacked himself on the forehead. "Have you heard a fucking thing I've said? WE... that means all of US!... need Treize alive!" 

"AND I TELL YOU THAT *I* DON'T CARE!!!" Wufei screamed back as the fire dragon swelled and grew until it brushed the high, vaulted ceiling. Ancient oak beams began to smoke and char as the flame creature prepared to attack. 

"AW, HELL!!!" 

Duo was a mere blur of black as he jumped for Treize. Several very special strands of hair flicked and the heavy iron chandelier chain used to suspend the general from the ceiling parted neatly, the large metal links sliced cleaner than any saw or laser could ever manage. 

They tumbled to the floor in a heap. As the Deathscythe pilot's long hair lightly settled over the two of them like a cloak, Duo clamped a gloved hand over Treize's mouth and hissed, "Be quiet and FREEZE!" in his ear. 

Although both Duo and Treize were lying up against the living room sofa, they were certainly still in plain view. However, to the general's utter astonishment, Wufei's angry gaze passed right over them as if they weren't even there. The smoke and haze in the air was not nearly thick enough to block a person's vision. 

(It's... it's like we're somehow become... invisible!) Treize thought in disbelief. 

"Damn it, Maxwell! Where did you go!? Where is he!?" Wufei yelled as he continued to scan the room for his intended victim. Suddenly, the Chinese pilot grabbed at his head and staggered as if in terrible pain. 

Treize twitched reflexively, but Duo's amazingly strong grip kept him from moving. 

Wufei abruptly sagged to his hands and knees, his head lolling loosely, as the flame dragon started to waver and lose cohesion. Finally, Wufei looked up with a horrified expression on his face and shouted, "W-W-What am I *DOING*!? Unnnn...!" 

The Shenlong pilot's words trailed off into a moan of pain as he clutched at his head again. "Why am I doing this!? Why do I feel... this way!? This.. this isn't RIGHT!!!" 

"Wufei...." Duo's voice was quiet, yet perfectly audible, even above the muffled roar of the dragon-shaped fire that still hovered in the air. 

"D-Duo?" Wufei shuddered, then choked out, "Get... get him out of here! NOW! Before I... lose control... and... try to... kill him... again! For all our sakes, I'm begging you!" 

With a wild gesture, Wufei blew away the French doors with a large fireball and screamed, "DUO!!! JUST DO IT!!!" 

Duo grabbed Treize and practically carried the wounded general across the room. They plunged through the smoking remains of the French doors, tumbled over the second story balcony, and landed in the garden. 

The shrubs helped soften the impact. Treize slowly stumbled to his feet and started to move away from Duo. Although he was grateful that the teenager had saved his life, he wasn't grateful enough to become the pilot's prisoner. Unfortunately, he came to a screeching halt as his wrists somehow got inexorably snared in Duo's long hair. 

Treize prided himself on keeping his calm in the most stressful of situations, but the events of the last hour or so were almost too much, even for him. He had to choke down the urge to start laughing hysterically as the long strands of chestnut hair refused to break, no matter how hard he yanked. 

As for Duo, he seemed unaffected by Treize's persistent tugging on his hair. 

"Give it up, Treize. I need you and I won't let you go. Besides, we both need to get out of here before Wufei goes bat-shit psycho again!" 

When the general gave him a rather wild-eyed sort of look and continued to struggle, Duo sighed impatiently, grabbed Treize's chin, and spat very precisely right into the general's left eye. 

Looking totally shocked, the older man instinctively recoiled and tried to rub the foreign substance from his eye, but he only succeeded in working the drug-laced saliva faster into his system. 

In a few seconds, Treize was out cold. Duo slung his unconscious but living prisoner over his shoulder and headed for the hills. He left the scene just in time as a series of large fiery explosions tore through the mansion, demolishing Treize's quarters and numerous other rooms. And above all the destruction, a great twisting dragon of fire soared, bellowing forth its pain and fury. 

(end teaser) 

**************** 

Snippet/Teaser 2 for Parts 7-8 

[ a safehouse, location unknown ] 

A sharp throb of pain in his right leg jolted Treize Khushrenada from unconsciousness. He lifted his head, opened his eyes, and found himself staring down at a head covered with long, rich chestnut brown hair of a familiar shade. The long silken strands trailed down Duo's back, twisted into a careless sort of ponytail. The general watched silently as deceptively slender fingers carefully rinsed the excruciatingly sensitive patch of seared, blistered flesh running from his right hip to his knee. 

"I've heard of people going for the burn, but this is fucking ridiculous!" Duo muttered. 

Treize raised an elegant forked eyebrow and said sourly, "You *spat* in my eye...." 

The general was nearly struck speechless as Duo's head lifted and a stunning pair of violet eyes met his own. The Deathscythe pilot blinked, snapping Treize out of his momentary daze, then gave the older man a sly grin. 

"Well, it was either spit or bite you." When Treize glared at him, Duo chuckled and added, "It was just a little tranquilizer. You were starting to freak out on me and I didn't want to get into a wrestling match with you, especially with Wu-man flinging fireballs right and left." 

Treize abruptly sagged back onto the pillows and let out a long, hissing breath as he stared up at the rustic oak beam ceiling of the bedroom. 

Duo's voice softened as he continued to tend to the general's injury. 

"No, it's not a bad dream. I wish it was, but it's not." 

"Damnation," Treize whispered. 

"If it's any consolation, deep inside, I don't think he wanted to do it. Any of it." 

There was a long silence as Treize went over his memories of his confrontation with Wufei. 

"I'm not sure what to think. It seemed so clear before... painful, but clear cut. But now.... First the confused innocence, then that sudden, vicious hatred, and then...." The older man continued to look up at the ceiling and said softly, "I don't know what's worse... to think that Wufei cold-bloodedly betrayed my trust or to think that he was somehow... compelled to do it." 

"Well, he did tell me to get you as far away as possible. I think he was frankly terrified of what he might do to you." 

Treize exhaled heavily, "He wasn't the only one. Dying in battle is one thing, but the thought of slowly being burned to death...." He suddenly started coughing. 

Duo poured some water into a sturdy coffee mug and handed it to the general, then turned to rip open the packaging on a temporary burn dressing. 

"He wasn't fooling around. You've got a second-degree burn here, bordering on third degree. I've cleaned it up, but you really need a doctor." 

Treize sipped slowly, allowing the cold water slide down his parched throat. 

"I suppose I should thank you for saving my life." 

"Don't thank me yet. I was glad I had a chance to keep Wufei from making a bad mistake, but I had my own reasons for keeping you alive. You see, it's awfully hard to interrogate a corpse," Duo said with a simple shrug of his bare shoulders. 

Treize caught himself paying way too much attention to how the sleeveless high-necked black tanktop only accentuated Duo's mysterious, but undeniable allure. 

"Ah. Now I see." 

He glanced down at the back of Duo's head as the Deathscythe pilot carefully began to apply the cool moist dressing to the older man's burned leg, then glanced at the heavy stoneware mug in his hand. He winced, not from the physical pain, then swung the mug in a short, powerful arc directly at the vulnerable back of Duo's skull. 

But to his utter shock, Treize's attempt to knock his captor unconscious failed miserably as a thick strand of Duo's hair suddenly whipped up and wrapped itself tightly around his wrist just inches away from the teenager's head. 

As the water sloshed in the mug, Duo calmly said without even looking up from his work on Treize's leg, "Not even close. And for your information, I could sever your hand just as easily as I cut that iron chandelier chain you were dangling from." 

The general stared down in mute fascination at his encircled wrist, held painlessly but inescapably in the prehensile chestnut hair strands. 

Duo calmly covered the burn dressing with a sterile bandage, then looked up at Treize. 

"Okay, here's the deal. I've got questions and you're the man with the answers. I want those answers and I'm going to get them. It's that simple." 

Treize gazed at Duo. Except for the thick strand around his wrist, the rest of Duo's long silken hair was now flicking slowly from side to side with an disturbingly deliberate fashion. He whispered, "Unbelievable. Wufei has the ability to control fire and that hair of yours...." 

"Oh, I can do a lot of very interesting and useful things." Duo smiled slowly. It certainly wasn't a cruel or malicious smile, but the pleasant implacability of his expression told Treize all he needed to know. 

"I'm sure you can." Treize propped himself a bit higher in the bed and added with admirable calm, "I suppose you're now going to say that we can do things the hard way or the easy way. " 

"Nope. Not at all. There is no hard or easy way. There's just MY way." 

"I'm injured and from what I've seen, you're much stronger than I am, so I'm hardly in any position to resist whatever coercion you choose to apply. But why don't you simply ask me what you want to know?" 

Duo grinned. "Because we both know that I wouldn't be able to believe a damn thing you said." 

Treize shrugged coolly, then said, "Probably true. So tell me. What exactly *is* your way?" 

The Deathscythe pilot sat down on edge of the bed, careful to avoid Treize's burn. They stared at each other, then without warning, Duo leaned forward, grabbed hold of the general's shoulders, and locked lips. 

It was a long, slow, and very thorough kiss. Treize was too surprised to put up a struggle at first and afterward, he was too dazed by the arousing sensation of Duo's lips moving on his own... to say nothing of the incredibly erotic feel of the teenager's tongue stroking the inside of his mouth. When Duo finally pulled his lips away, Treize was left totally speechless, his mind whirling dizzily. 

Then with a sudden sinking sensation in his stomach, the general remembered how Duo had knocked him unconscious with tranquilizer-laced saliva. 

"You... you drugged me!" Treize growled as he frantically rubbed at his lips with his free hand. 

"Bingo. And it's too late to do anything about it, so you might as well lie back and enjoy it." 

The older man wanted to make some suitably cutting comments about dirty tricks, but found himself snuggling back against the comfortable pillows and chuckling softly. 

"Oh my god.... What the hell did you give me?" 

Duo cocked his head and grinned, "Just a little something to make you relax and lower your inhibitions, tailored to your specific body chemistry." 

"So... so what exactly what does it do?" Treize asked lazily, a charmingly lopsided grin appearing on his face. 

"Basically, you're going to have a hell of a pleasant buzz and the urge to talk your mouth off." 

"Talk? You're not going to make me talk. You can ask all the questions you want, but I'm not going to say a single word. No, I refuse to tell you a damn thing so you might as well give it up and leave me alone. It's not going to work. Besides, I don't get buzzed. Why, when I was in school, I could drink every single one of my classmates under the table, then still walk a straight line while reciting the alphabet backwards," Treize said with an airy wave of his free hand, as he tried to sit up. 

Duo chuckled and gently pushed the now thoroughly spaced out OZ general back down. "Oh, I believe you. Absolutely." 

"Z... oh god, Zechs...." Treize scowled pettishly. "He didn't want to have sex with me anymore because he needed time to 'figure things out'. We both enjoyed wrestling in the sheets, so what's to figure out? By the way, did you know that Zechs is really Relena Peacecraft's older brother Milliard?" 

"Why, no. Imagine that," Duo purred coaxingly. 

"Where was I? Oh, that's right... Y... X... W... damn it all, Wufei! Have he gone totally insane?" Treize grabbed hold of Duo's tanktop and complained, "He was the one who came to me! Can you believe it? The doctors found traces of both tranquilizers and aphrodisiacs in my bloodstream. That conniving little sneak! When I get my hands on him, I'm going to put that damn paddle of Zechs to good use!" 

Duo sniggered. "Oh, that reminds me. Why did you happen to have stuff like paddles and wrist binders lying around?" 

Treize muttered, "It was Zechs. He really got off on the old bondage and discipline bit. It's probably a guilt complex, either from having sex with another male or because he's fighting for OZ.... Never had a chance to try them on Wufei... rats." 

The Deathscythe pilot slowly ran his fingers through Treize's hair and murmured, "Did you ever sleep with Lady Une?" 

"Une? Hell, no. Do you think I'm crazy? Her uber-bitch side is so domineering that it's positively scary and her sweet side is too... well, sweet and bloody nice. Although she's a good looking woman, no doubt about that. I've seen her naked." Treize snickered. "But her butt can't compare to yours or Wufei's, although I can't quite decide whether your ass or Wufei's ass is cuter...." 

Duo smiled and said smoothly, "Maybe you'll have a chance to find out." 

The general grinned back and said, "Bribery will get you nowhere, you little devil. I'm not going to answer your questions about... Ummm, what were you asking me about?" 

"Oh, I just wanted to know what the access codes and passwords for that special security module you just added for the new OZ computer network," Duo said smoothly. 

Treize snorted. "HA! As if I was going to tell that the first access code is 'bombaruda' and that the second code is 'rumtigger'...." 

The general's voice trailed off, then with a mildly appalled expression on his face, Treize said, "Oops... oh, drat it." 

(end teaser) 

**************** 

Snippet/Teaser 3 for Parts 7-8 

[ a safehouse, location unknown ] 

Wufei roared up the gravel driveway and brought the car to a screeching halt outside the safehouse. As the dust settled, he sagged forward to lean his forehead against the steering wheel clutched in his white-knuckled hands. 

He stayed in that position for several moments, chest heaving and barely aware of the soft pings and creaks of cooling metal of the stolen car. The nearly overpowering knot of rage, hatred, and loathing -- all directed to Treize Khushrenada -- prowled and slithered around the edges of his consciousness like a hungry dragon, ready to sink its fangs into him at the slightest sign of weakness. 

(Control. I must stay in control. I will NOT be ruled by this... this *madness* inside me....) 

He felt his cheeks flush in shame as he recalled his strangely sympathetic, and yet very disturbing, conversation with Duo.... 

**************** 

He paced furiously in a small clearing in the woods, his clothes singed and reeking of smoke. But even as his body moved, his mind remained in a state of near total paralysis from the conflicting desires raging in his skull. Bloodlust warred with honor, hatred wrestled with love.... 

Then his phone rang. And rang. And rang. 

Finally, he dragged himself out of his trancelike state to answer. 

"Took your sweet time, Wufei." 

The familiar nonchalance of Duo's voice sent a jolt of predatory excitement up his spine. Before he could stop himself, he snarled into the phone, "WHERE IS HE, DUO!?" 

Duo made no attempt to act innocent about which 'he' the Chinese pilot was talking about. 

"I'm not going to answer that. All you need to know is that he's alive and safe." 

"Damn it! Tell me where the HELL he is!" Behind him, a fallen branch started to smoulder. 

"No." The answer was perfectly calm and perfectly adamant. 

"Duo...!" he growled ominously. 

The Deathscythe pilot coolly responded, "Wufei, you've got to get a grip on yourself." 

He came dangerously close to crushing the phone with his bare hands as he took several long gasping breaths. 

"I... I... can't...." 

"Yes, you can. I know you can. You did it once before. You can do it again." 

Wufei whispered hoarsely, "I care about him. No, I love him. I love and respect one of our most dangerous enemies, Duo." He paused, panting heavily. "And I absolutely LOATHE him. I want to kill him. I want him to die slowly, in the most painful ways imaginable. I want that SO bad. The sound of his screams would be music in my ears." 

Wufei sagged against a nearby tree trunk and slowly banged the back of his head against the hard wood. 

"I must be insane. How else I explain the way I feel? The last thing I want to do is hurt him... and yet I do." 

Over the phone, Duo's voice softened. "Listen to me, Wufei. You can barely think straight because your feelings are jerking you in too many different directions at once. But if you don't know where Treize is, you can't hurt him. And short of a direct order from Heero, I'm *not* going to tell you where I've hidden him. Got it? So shove all those ugly feelings in your head into the background and ignore them as best you can. You don't have a choice. There's nothing that you can do to Treize at the moment. Deal with it." 

The Deathscythe pilot waited patiently as Wufei struggled to calm his racing thoughts. Finally, the Chinese pilot heaved a great sigh and said, "Thank you, Duo." 

There was a low chuckle over the phone. 

"Hey, no problem. Believe me when I tell you that I quite understand how it feels to be gripped by an irresistable compulsion," Duo drawled. 

That comment made Wufei recall Duo's own emotional dilemma. And since it was much easier to deal with someone else's problems than his own, he inquired, "Uh... how are YOU doing? Are you all right?" 

He could just picture the Deathscythe pilot casually shrugging as he answered. 

"I'm fine," Duo said in an unnervingly serene voice. 

"You're... fine," Wufei shot back in decidedly skeptical tones. 

"Yes, I'm feeling perfectly fine. Why do you ask?" 

He gritted his teeth and bit out, "I'm asking because Heero, for some unfathomable reason, decided to abduct you...." 

"He didn't abduct me. I wanted to go with him." 

Ignoring Duo's protest, Wufei continued furiously, "Then why the hell did he knock Sally Po unconscious to do it?" 

"Oh... that." 

"Yes, THAT!" Wufei shouted into the phone. 

Duo sighed, "You know how focused Heero can get about missions. He really needed my help and he was afraid that Sally wouldn't agree...." 

"Damn it! Considering everything you had just been through AND your questionable state of mind, there was no possible way you could be considered fit for carrying out a grocery trip, much less a supposedly vital and urgent mission!" 

The Deathscythe pilot said in rather miffed tones, "I was doing fine until YOU showed up and decided to toast everything." 

"Don't remind me...," Wufei growled. 

"Whoops. Sorry about that. But you don't need to worry about me. Honestly. Heero and I had a nice long talk about our relationship...." 

"A nice long talk. And that solved everything?" Wufei said, doubt dripping from every syllable. 

"Basically, yes. We cleared up once and for all any uncertainty about our respective positions in that relationship. And once that happened, everything else fell into place. Now I know exactly where I stand and where Heero stands." 

Wufei scowled. If he hadn't seen with his own eyes what the Deathscythe pilot had suffered, Duo's story would have seemed quite plausible. But given what he knew, something else had to be going on -- something much deeper and complicated than a simple heart-to-heart talk. Obviously Duo wasn't going to tell him the truth, so there was only one other person who knew exactly what was going on with the long-haired pilot. 

"I need to talk to Heero. In person." 

"C'mon man. You don't need to bug him about this. You know how uptight he gets about personal stuff, Wufei. I've already told you everything...." 

"I'm not saying that you're lying to me, but I want to hear Heero's side of things." 

When Duo hesitated, Wufei sighed and added, "Duo, please.... And besides, we have to discuss the ramifications of MY particular problem. And even if you're... cured... I want a few more details on exactly what's going on!" 

"I know. I know. God, what a fucking mess." 

"Where's Quatre and Trowa, anyway?" 

"Quatre's at his sister's wedding, remember? And Trowa's off on some mission of his own." 

After rattling off the safehouse address, Duo paused a moment, then said gently, "Do you have a message for Treize?" 

For an instant, the unreasoning rage and hatred tore through his mind. Wufei found his lips curling into a snarl before he managed to regain some semblance of self-control. 

"Tell him... tell him that I'm... sorry... for abusing his trust. Sorry for hurting him." He hesitated a long moment, then whispered over the phone, "And tell him that I... care about him." 

"You got it." 

"Thank you, Duo. For everything." 

**************** 

Wufei shook off the memories. Yes, he owed Duo a great debt and honor demanded that he do his best to repay it. One way to do that was to look out for Duo's interests. Besides, concentrating on Duo's situation kept him from thinking obsessively about his own problems. 

During the drive to the safehouse, Wufei had become steadily more convinced that Duo was not truly capable of acting in his own best interests... especially in regard to Heero. More disturbing was his growing belief that Heero had 'done' something to Duo. He had no idea what it could be, but the memories of Heero's unwillingness to answer questions about his treatment of Duo back at the clinic several days ago did nothing to reassure the Chinese pilot. 

(He acted... guilty and ashamed. As if he knew he had done something wrong... but what? Damn it, I don't understand! I could swear that Heero loves Duo, but then why won't he explain what he did to Duo? And why on earth did he risk sending Duo, who was obviously both mentally and emotionally shaky, out on a dangerous mission to abduct Treize from the middle of an OZ military base?) 

Wufei inhaled sharply, then stalked into the safehouse. 

**************** 

He found Heero sitting on the living room sofa. The Wing pilot did not react to the Shenlong pilot's entrance. Instead, Heero remained eerily still, staring at nothing in particular, with his hands resting slack and empty on his knees. 

"Heero," Wufei demanded sharply, but got no response. The barely controlled knot of hatred and frustration in his head made a notoriously short temper even shorter. He stalked over to the Wing pilot. Hovering over him, Wufei snapped, "Damn it, Heero! I want some answers! Why did you drag Duo off on a mission, given his condition? And what the HELL did you do to him while the two of you were alone!?" 

Heero's shoulders slowly began to shake, then Wufei heard the Wing pilot start laughing. It was a dark, ugly laugh. Distracted by the chaotic emotions threatening to run rampant in his own head, Wufei unfortunately missed the undertones of disgust and self-loathing in Heero's low chuckles. 

"Do to him? You should be asking what *didn't* I do to him." 

"How DARE you treat this as a joke!" 

Heero's head slowly swiveled in Wufei's direction. Still chuckling, he said, "Oh, it's no joke. Definitely not a joke." 

"I want to know exactly what you did to Duo and I want to know NOW!" 

Heero rose to his feet with an uncanny slow grace. He stalked forward until his face was only inches from Wufei's. 

"What did I do to Duo? I exploited his sexual and emotional need for me in order to control him, then I used pleasure to break him. I twisted him. I tore his mind, heart, and soul apart. And once that was done, I put the pieces back together and reprogrammed him to obey me. Just like hacking into a enemy computer." 

The Wing pilot's voice started to rise in volume from his initial conversational tone until he was shouting. 

"In short, I created a fucking perfect slave for myself! A perfectly devoted, perfectly happy, perfectly obedient SLAVE whose only purpose in life is to serve and please ME! WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO KNOW!?!?" 

Heero uttered those last words in an near scream, his fists clenched so tightly at his sides that blood began to ooze between his fingers. A thick silence filled the room, broken only by heavy breathing and the plop of Heero's blood hitting the hardwood floor. 

Finally, Wufei breathed, "Why?" 

Blue eyes glittering, both from inwardly directed rage and gathering tears of anguish, Heero replied just as softly, "Because a perfect soldier needs a perfect weapon to use. I am the soldier and Duo is the weapon. And now he's MINE, to use or abuse as I see fit." 

The Shenlong pilot stared almost blindly into Heero's eyes, both teenagers apparently oblivious to the single tear that slowly began to trickle down the Wing pilot's cheek... then Wufei calmly reached up, wrapped both hands around Heero's throat, and began to throttle him. 

Heero made no effort to resist. 

"You BASTARD. You fucking, heartless bastard," Wufei said with deadly calm as he continued to do his best to choke Heero. 

**************** 

The first hint came when Wufei felt the mouth of a cold gun barrel pressing against his right temple. The Chinese pilot abruptly froze. His dark eyes glanced sideways to see who was holding the other end of the gun. 

"Let him go," Duo said with a casual smile, the pistol rock steady. 

"You'd do it, wouldn't you?" the Chinese pilot said with admirable calm. He didn't attempt to dodge, but he didn't release his grip on Heero's throat, either. 

Still dressed in his sleeveless black turtleneck, Duo shrugged his bare shoulders and said, "I'd really hate to blow your brains out, Wufei." 

"But your personal feelings won't stop you from doing it to protect Heero." 

"Afraid so." The long strands of Duo's hair twitched back and forth for a few seconds, as if sniffing the air, before gathering into a loosely twisted ponytail down his back. 

Moving deliberately, Wufei opened his hands, then slowly straightened up as Duo's gun continued to rest lightly against his head. 

As for Heero, he sat down abruptly on the bloodstained floor, not from a lack of oxygen, but rather from sheer shock. All he could do was stare mutely at Duo, who gave the Wing pilot a decidedly worried look before turning back to Wufei. 

"Are you going to behave yourself now, Wufei?" 

The Chinese pilot gave Heero a brief, inscrutable stare, then said, "I won't do anything reckless." 

The Wing pilot finally managed to choke out, "How... how much did you hear, Duo?" 

The long-haired teenager blithely replied, "Oh, pretty much everything." 

The easy nonchalance of Duo's words managed to wreck Wufei's fragile calm. His eyes first widened in disbelief, then ignoring the gun pointed at his skull, he exploded, "Heero admits that he deliberately and coldbloodedly tortured you, then brainwashed you into becoming his SLAVE and that's ALL you've got to say!?" 

Duo pondered the question thoughtfully for a few seconds, then said with a shrug, "I guess so. What do you expect me to say?" 

Wufei could only gape in horror at the Deathscythe pilot, before turning to Heero and sputtering incoherently in outrage. 

"You... he... how... why....?" 

Apparently deciding that Wufei was no longer an immediate threat, Duo slid his gun back into its shoulder holster, then disappeared into the kitchen. He quickly returned with a few hand towels and crouched down beside the Wing pilot. 

As Duo started to wipe the blood off his hands, Heero looked up at Wufei and said dully, "That's part of his programming. You've just told Duo what I did to him. *I* just told him what I did. It doesn't make a damn bit of difference to him. He doesn't CARE." 

Duo gently stretched out the Wing pilot's hands to get a better look at the cuts left by his fingernails, then leaned back and gave Heero a rather annoyed look. 

"You bloody idiot. May I remind you that you need your hands to pilot Wing?" 

(end teaser)

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Notes: 
> 
>  
> 
> Now Duo probably comes off as the ultimate sub in this part. Well, as you might guess, he is... with HEERO. With anyone else, all bets are off. People expecting Duo to grovel submissively at their feet are liable to get their testicles ripped off and shoved down their throats. As one might imagine, Duo is *not* a happy camper when he realizes what's happened to him. Neither is Heero.


End file.
